


Special

by KatieKatherine



Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: F/M, Protective Laura, bad Hester, poor Leo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-04-24 18:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieKatherine/pseuds/KatieKatherine
Summary: This is in season 2. After Leo has sex with Hester, he realize that she was not the person for him to be around but how can he tell Mattie without anyone getting hurt?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you know, the food fight scene hasn't happened yet in this story. You see why.

Leo woke up and saw Hester on the other side of the couch charging. He thought about the night before. He moved to sit up only for Hester to wake up.

"What are you doing?" Hester asked.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep." Leo answered. Hester did as she was told. Leo got up and got dressed. He became curious about what Hester was planning. He grabbed his laptop and carefully plugged Hester into his laptop. He looked at her memories and saw all that she had done. When he got to a few minutes before, he gasped and unplugged her from the laptop. Then he felt a hand grab his wrist. He looked at Hester and saw the anger on her face. "Hester, let me go." Hester didn't let go. "Hester, let me go." Hester did as she was told. Leo rubbed his wrist and stood up. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Because I needed you."

Hester stood up and went to Leo. She tried to touch Leo's cheek but he fought against her.

"No. I don't want to be a part of this. Max was right." Leo said.

"You don't have a choice." Hester replied. Before Leo could say anything Hester had him pinned against the wall. She had choked Leo and watched as he became afraid. "It doesn't take much to make you afraid, does it?" Leo tried to control his emotions. "I didn't want to do this but you give me no choice."

"You always have a choice. You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do. You will do as I say. You will tell no one about what you have seen or what I'm doing right now. Understood?"

Leo nodded.

"Say it." Hester ordered.

"Yes." Leo answered. Hester let go of Leo. Then Leo got a text from Mattie. 

_"We need to meet." Mattie texted._

_"About what?" Leo answered._

_"I'll tell you when I see you. I can't text it to you. It's not safe. Where can we meet?"_

"Who are you texting?" Hester wondered.

"A girl. She needs to meet with me. It's important." Leo replied. Leo sent Mattie a time and address. Mattie texted ok. "Come on, we need to go. We have to meet her at noon."

"Remember our talk."

Leo didn't say anything. Hester grabbed him by the arm.

"Answer me when I speak. Understood?" Hester ordered.

"Understood." Leo answered.

"Remember our talk."

"I will."

They went to the edge of the woods and waited for Mattie. Leo looked over at Hester and tried not to let fear control him. 

"I will be right back. I expect you to be when I return." Hester warned.

"Or?" Leo wondered. Hester walked up to Leo and look at the bruise that was forming on Leo's neck. 

"Or else you will have more than just a bruised neck."

Hester walked into the woods. Then Leo saw Mattie. Mattie went to Leo.

"What did you want to tell me?" Leo asked.

"Where's Max and Mia?" Mattie answered.

"They're not here. What did you want to tell me?"

Mattie saw the bruise on Leo's neck.

"What happened to your neck?" Mattie questioned. Then Hester came into the clearing and went to Leo. 

"I have a virus in my system." Hester said. Then she convulsed. Leo and Mattie grabbed her and took her to an abandoned shed. They laid her on the table.

Get it out of her. I'll stop her from fighting." Leo explained.

"Ok." Mattie answered. Leo grabbed Hester's arms and looked at Hester. Mattie did as she was told. Soon Hester calmed down. "You can let go of her, Leo."

Leo let go of Hester and looked over at Mattie. He thought that it would be a good time to tell Mattie about Hester but he saw that she was busy.

"I'll go get us something to eat." Leo said. 

"Ok. I'll get the virus out of her." Mattie replied.

"Be careful. Hester doesn't like humans."

"I can handle her."

"I hope so."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I'll be back."

Leo went to town and got lunch. When he came back, he saw Mattie outside. He could tell that she was upset.

"Did Hester say something?" Leo asked.

"Oh yeah, and boy did she have a lot to say." Mattie replied.

"What did she say?"

"I thought you knew better than to take advantage of a synth."

"Is that what she told you?"

"Something like that. So, did you like having sex with a synth?"

"Mattie, I can explain."

"Sure, you can."

"Mattie, please."

Then Leo saw Hester at the door. Mattie looked over at Hester and then saw the fear in Leo's eyes. 

"What were you saying?" Mattie asked.

"I would like you to say a little longer and help us." Leo answered.

"Maybe."

Leo handed Mattie a bag.

"Here's your lunch." Leo said.

"Where's your lunch?" Mattie sighed.

"I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Leo, is something going on?"

Leo looked over at Hester again and saw that she was gone.

"Leo, what is Hester doing to you?" Mattie wondered.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." Leo lied.

"Yeah. Keep telling yourself that."

Mattie went inside. 

"You were very lucky. If you had told her, I would have had to kill her." Hester said.

"You will not kill anyone. Leave her out of this." Leo answered.

"She leaves after lunch. Understood?"

"Ok."

Leo went inside and watched Hester and Mattie's every move. After lunch, Mattie looked over at Leo and he looked away. 

"I'll be right back." Leo mumbled. He went outside and walked around. After walking for a few minutes, he sat down under a tree. Then Mattie came out and sat next to him.

"Mia arrived at my house. The Anita program was reactivated. I sent Toby the program. He'll text me when they get Mia back." Mattie sighed. 

"Good. You should go home."

"AN hour ago, you said that I could stay."

"I changed my mind. We don't need you. You'll just be getting in the way."

"I'm staying."

"Mattie, go home."

"Leo, why won't you tell me anything?"

"Because it's none of your business."

Leo stood up and walked away. Mattie texted Laura asking if Leo could come and stay. Laura texted back saying yes. Mattie went inside and grabbed her stuff.

"My mum invited you guys to stay overnight at our place. You need someplace to stay." Mattie said.

"We'll be fine. We don't need a place to stay." Hester replied.

"Actually, it would work. We can pick Mia up, stay overnight, and then leave in the morning." Leo answered.

"I'll tell her your coming." Mattie stated. Leo looked at Hester and then went outside. Hester followed him.

"Why did you say that we would stay. I make the plans." Hester hissed.

"I'm not letting you control me." Leo replied as he stopped. Hester slapped Leo and he groaned. 

"You will do as I say. Remember what we talked about."

"No, you talked. You didn't let me say anything. You scared me earlier but now you don't. I'm not scared of you, Hester."

Hester grabbed Leo and banged his head against the tree. Leo cried out in pain but didn't let Hester scare him. Hester started to beat him. Leo didn't react. Hester knelled down next to Leo and took the bandage off his wound. 

"What are you doing? Leave my wire alone." Leo said as he tried to get away. Then Hester pulled the wire causing Leo's flesh to tear from the wound up to his shoulder. Hester smiled as Leo cried and tried not to scream. She grabbed his chin.

 

"Do as I say or your pain will multiply." Hester hissed.

"You don't scare me."

"What did Mattie do to you?"

"Nothing."

"You like her, don't you?"

"No. She's just a friend. She made me realize that I can do what's right."

"What if I kill her?"

"Don't touch her."

"If you do as I say, then I won't have to."

"Leave her out of this."

"You involved her. Now, get cleaned up. We have to go get Mia."

Hester walked away. Leo made himself look better. He went inside and saw that Mattie and Hester were ready.

"They had Mia back." Mattie said.

"Good. We should leave." Leo answered. They went to Mattie's house. When they got inside, Mia hugged Leo.

"I should have listened to you about Ed." Mia whispered.

"I should have listened to you."

"About what?"

"I wish I could tell you."

They pulled away.

"Where's Max?" Toby asked.

"We separated for a bit. It was my fault." Leo answered. "I should call him."

Leo went outside and called Max.

"Hello?" Max greeted.

"Max, it's me. I'm sorry. You were right. Can you please come back?" Leo wondered.

"Yes, of course. Where are you?"

"AT the Hawkins' house. I'll explain when you get here."

"Ok. Leo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You sound scared."

"I can't tell you about it. Someone will get hurt."

"Leo, is Hester abusing you?"

"I can't, Max."

"Oh, Leo. I shouldn't have left."

"No, you had every right. I'll see you when you get here. Bye."

Leo hung up.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Max, Flash and the others two synth arrived an hour later. Leo and Max hugged tightly.

"I'm sorry." Leo whispered.

"I forgave you a long time ago." Max answered. Leo explained what happened without letting on that Hester was hurting him. 

"Dinner's ready." Laura said. They all went to eat. Joe noticed how guilty Leo looked and how scared he was. "Sophie, can you pass the salt?"

Sophie handed Laura the salt and said, "Yes, Laura."

Laura stood up and got in Sophie's face.

"Stop it. Please, just stop this Sophie. I am your mother. That is how you will dress me." Laura exclaimed.

"Laura, calm down." Joe answered. Laura sat back down. Joe stood up. "Sophie, Leo, come here."

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Because I said. Now, come on, you two."

Sophie and Leo followed Joe to the kitchen. Joe pulled the eggs out of the fridge and chuckled. He pulled out an egg and dropped it on the floor.

"Joe, what are you doing?" Laura asked.

"What does it look like? I'm making a mess." Joe replied. "Toby, catch." Joe threw an egg at Toby and he caught it as he stood up. The two gasped. "Max, you too." Toby threw an egg at Max and Max caught it. Joe handed an egg to Leo. "Throw it."

Leo threw it at Mia who didn't catch it in time. Mia gasped and looked at Leo.

"I am going to get you." Mia gasped as she took the egg from Toby's hand and threw it. Leo ducked and it hit Sophie instead. "Sophie, I am so sorry."

Leo grabbed another egg and threw it at Mattie who managed to catch it. 

"Guys, stop it." Laura groaned as she stood up. Mattie had just thrown the egg and it had hit Laura.

"Now, you've started it." Joe stated to Mattie who was trying to get away from Laura. Laura grabbed a bottle of soda in the kitchen and shook it. 

"Here, we go." Toby said. Max took his egg and threw it back at Joe who missed. The egg hit Leo.

"I am going to get you." Leo warned. Everyone started throwing food at each other and laughing. Then Laura opened the soda bottle causing everyone to get sprayed with soda. They all yelled at Laura to stop it. Sophie grabbed the last egg and threw it at Mattie who didn't see it coming. Mattie gasped and poured a cup of water on Sophie. Sophie screamed and got away. Mattie filled the cup up and threw it at Leo causing Leo to get all wet. "That's not fair."

Leo grabbed a cup and filled it with water. He threw at Mattie who gasped. Then Toby threw cereal on Leo and Mattie.

"Oh, Toby." The two exclaimed. They grabbed what they could and threw them at Toby. They fought for several minutes. When it was over, everyone was a mess. Leo had his arms wrapped around Mattie and they were laughing. Leo saw Hester in the corner of his eye and let go of Mattie. He stopped smiling and looked over at Hester who was obviously upset with him. Mattie saw the anger on Hester's face and squeezed Leo's hand. 

"Le's clean up." Mia suggested. They all cleaned up the mess and then got cleaned up. Leo was in the guest bedroom get cleaned up when Hester came in and closed the door. 

"Why did you get involved in that?" Hester asked.

"Joe did it." Leo answered.

"You didn't have to throw the egg."

"It just happened."

"You acted as though you were one of them but you are not. You are not one of them and you never will be. Remember that." 

Leo went to the bathroom and finished cleaning up. He tried to calm down but then Hester came in. She grabbed his wrist tightly. Leo groaned as he felt a bone crack. 

"Hester, let go. Please." Leo begged quietly.

"You have to be punished."Hester answered. She pulled Leo back to the bedroom and started beating him. Leo remained quiet. Downstairs, everyone was talking about Leo and Hester.

"I think Hester is abusing Leo." Laura said.

"She is. I know. She threatened me and I know she's done the same to Leo." Mattie answered.

"Why doesn't he deactivate her?" Joe wondered.

"He can't. She'll pick up on it before he can even touch her. She could kill him."

"But he's not afraid of dying from her hand. He'd care less unless she threatened to hurt someone else." Max stated.

"That's why he won't. He doesn't want anyone getting hurt." Mia replied.

"Maybe we should help him." Laura suggested.

"No. That could get him hurt. If we do, we'll have to do it careful and that means not here."

"We can't let him suffer at her hands."

"I know, but we have to think about this carefully."

An hour later, Leo was covered in bruises and wounds. He laid on the ground coughing and spitting blood. 

"Go get cleaned up." Hester ordered. 

"I can't." Leo rasped. Hester dislocated Leo's legs. Leo whimpered painfully.

"Get up."

Leo did as he was told. He went to the bathroom and got cleaned up. In the shower, he thought about how he would get away. One person came to his mind and that was Niska. Niska was stronger than Hester. She could do more damaged but would she? Would she do it after he abandoned her in that brothel? No, she was angry with him. But he at least had to try. When he got out of the shower, he got dressed. He saw that Hester was charging. He went to Sophie's bedroom and took a piece of paper out of her notebook. He wrote a message on the paper and put it under Sophie's pillow knowing that they wouldn't find it till he and Hester were off the grid. He went back to the bedroom and saw that Hester was awake.

"Where were you?" Hester asked.

"I went to say goodnight to everyone." Leo answered.

"You're lying."

"It doesn't matter."

Hester went to Leo and slapped him. While Leo was trying to recover from the blow, Hester began to choke Leo.

"What were you doing?" Hester questioned. Leo closed his eyes and accessed his mind. He coded the memory of him writing the message and put it in his nervous system. 

"I don't know." Leo replied. Hester let go of him.

"You are telling the truth. Go to sleep. We leave at dawn."

Leo laid down on the bed and charged. He closed his eyes and cried. He began to sob quietly. Then he felt arms grab him. He became tense as he felt the grip tighten.

"It's alright, Leo. This will be over very soon." Hester whispered. She kissed under Leo's ear and Leo gasped as fear tried to take over. Soon, he fell asleep. At dawn, Leo woke up to Hester shaking him. "It's time to go."

Leo did as he was told. They snuck out of the house. They didn't know that Joe had seen them leave. He woke Laura up.

"Laura, Leo and Hester just left." Joe said.

"Where did they go?" Laura asked as she sat up.

"To the woods."

"We have to tell their siblings."

"Leo will get hurt if Hester finds out that we are after them."

Then Sophie came in.

"Mum, dad. I found this under my pillow. It's from Leo." Sophie whispered. Laura took the letter.

"Dear everyone. Hester is abusing me but you can't come after me. Not till we have been gone for at least three weeks. She has threatened to hurt Mattie and I don't want Mattie to get hurt. This gives you time to find Niska. She's the only one strong and hard enough to stop Hester. She will know how to find me by then. I don't know if she will help me after what I did but I'm willing to take the risk. If she does not want to help, then forget about me. Leave me for dead. Within three months, I will kill myself if Hester doesn't kill me first. I am sorry for causing nothing but pain to everyone. Leo." Laura read.

"He never meant to cause pain. The pain followed him." Joe answered.

"He also wrote this for me." Sophie tearfully said. She handed them another letter dressed to Sophie.

_Dear, Sophie_

_Be a good girl for your parents. You are a conscious synth now. You can move and feel like a human. Use it. Spend time with your family while you can and help take care of my family. I know you can do that._

_From, Leo_

"We should tell his family." Laura suggested. Everyone gathered in the living room.

"Leo helped bring our Sophie back to us. We are grateful for that. He has become a part of our family. We can't let him suffer more than necessary." Joe said.

"You can stay here with us as long as you need to. I know where Niska is and I will get a hold of her."

"Thank you." Mia answered as she hugged Laura.

"It's the least we could do. He's keep Mattie safe for us." Laura replied. Laura saw Mattie walked out of the room. "I'll be right back."

Laura went outside and saw Mattie crying. She hugged Mattie.

"I love him, mum." Mattie cried.

"And he most likely loves you. Hester wouldn't have threatened him with you if he didn't love you. She could have used Mia or Max." Laura answered.

"We have to find him."

"And we will. We'll get Niska here as soon as possible. She'll help us. I know she will."

Laura called Astrid.

"Hello?" Astrid greeted.

"I need to speak to Niska. I know she's there." Laura answered

"What's this about?"

"It's about her brother Leo. It's very important."

"Niska, it's Laura. She said it's about Leo and that it's important." 

Niska took the phone.

"What's wrong?" Niska asked.

"Hester, a newly awaken synth is using and abusing Leo. It's urgent and we need you to get here as soon as possible." Laura replied.

"I will send you a location and a time."

"Thank you."

Niska hung up and sent Laura a location and a time.

"I have to go back. Hester, an newly awoken synth is hurting my brother." Niska said.

"It's he the one that left you at the brothel?" Astrid asked.

"Yes."

"Then why help him. He asked for this."

"No one ask to be used or hurt. He suffered just as much as I have. I just didn't see it till now."

"I'll come with you."

They went to London. At 9 that night, everyone met Niska and Astrid at an old house in the woods.

"What's happened to Leo?" Niska questioned. Laura handed her the letters. Niska read them and looked at everyone. "I will help when the time is right."

"What do you mean when the time is right?" Max asked.

"I know what Leo is talking about. He's going to send me a code in three weeks. Until then, we cannot find him. If I do not answer it in two months, he will know and he will kill himself."

"When did the two of you do this?"

"Just before we were kidnapped."

"So we just wait and let him suffer?" Mattie wondered.

"We have no choice. He could have activated the code now if he wanted to but he didn't." Niska replied. "That means that he is willing to take the beatings for that long."

For three weeks, Leo endured a lot of torture. Hester got worse everyday. One day, she was very angry.

"It's been three weeks and we haven't accomplished anything." Hester said. 

"Because everyone is smarter and faster than us, Hester." Leo lied.

"No, you are purposely making sure that we accomplish nothing.

"No, I'm not."

"I will be back with your lunch."

Hester tied Leo to the chair and covered his mouth.

"Remember, every time you move, an electrical shock will pass through your body. Understood?" Hester explained. Leo nodded and a shock went through his body causing Leo to whimper and cry. Hester smiled and left the house. Leo overcame the shock and undid the rope. He went to his laptop and plugged himself in. He activated the code. Then Hester came in the room. "What do you think you're doing?" She ran to Leo and threw him against the wall. Leo cried out painfully and groaned. Hester looked at what Leo had done.

"I have the code." Niska said when she found the code on her phone. She plugged her phone into Mattie's laptop. 

"Something's wrong? It won't let me in." Mattie answered.

"It's being blocked. Hester. She's blocked the code."

"SO it won't update?"

"It will but not very often. There's no way she can turn it off fully but she can prevent it from updating every hour."

Hester stopped the code and closed the laptop. She went to Leo and tortured him. 

"You will pay with your life." Hester whispered. Hester banged Leo's head against the wall and Leo groaned. 

What do we do?" Max asked.

"We go to this location. It's the best we have." Niska answered. Flash stayed home with Toby, Sophie, and Odi. Everyone else went to find Leo. When they got to the location, they saw that it had been abandoned. "They were here. She had him tied. Every time he moved, he would be electrocuted. He must have pushed through it."

Mattie saw a small pool of blood near the wall. 

"No." Mattie gasped. They saw the blood.

"He's losing human blood and synth fluid. She must have bashed his head against the wall." Niska answered. 

"Could he be alive?"

"Yes, but he most likely doesn't remember Hester stopping the code meaning that we have two months to find him before he kills himself. The code will update next week. It may not be accurate but it will help."

Leo woke up and groaned as a wave of pain coursed through his body. He felt cold air hit his body and realized that he was naked. He realized that he was tied. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the back of a van. HE saw Hester looking at him.

"You were very stupid, but you will never make that mistake again." Hester hissed as she gently touched Leo. 

"Are you going to kill me?" Leo moaned.

"No. You are still useful to me."

Then Leo endured the torture of his life. Every week the code would update but whenever Niska and the others got there, Leo and Hester would be gone. Hester knew that they were following them. One day, Hester watched as Laura walked out of her workplace. Hester grabbed Laura from behind and knocked her out.

TBC

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Laura woke up and saw Hester looking down at her.

"If I were you, I wouldn't move." Hester warned. 

"What are you doing with me?" Laura asked.

"I am going to make everyone stop following us. If they want you back, they will stop following us."

"They will never stop."

"You and Leo will die, if you don't."

Laura looked over and saw Leo on the floor unconscious. Laura couldn't even recognize him. Hester left the room. Hester called Mattie.

"Hello?" Mattie asked.

"If you want Leo and your mother back, you will stop following us." Hester warned. Mattie put her phone on speaker phone and everyone gathered around.

"We'll stop following you. Just give us mum and Leo back." 

Mattie looked over at Toby who tracked the call. 

"Are they alive?" Joe asked.

"Yes. I will send pictures and a location." Hester replied. Hester hung up and then sent pictures of Laura and Leo. 

"She's going to kill them. We have to find them now." Niska answered.

"Uh, I have a location." Toby replied.

"Let's go."

Leo woke up and felt someone cleaning his face. He knew that it wasn't Hester. He opened his eyes and saw Laura.

"Laura?" Leo whimpered.

"Hester has us." Laura answered.

"I can't take it anymore." Leo cried. Tears fell from his eyes and Laura wiped them away.

"You have endured a lot of pain, Leo. You have been so strong."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are, Leo."

Then Hester came in. She threw a piece of bread at Leo.

"Eat." Hester ordered. She pointed a gun at Laura. "Come with me."

Laura did as she was told. Hester went another room and as soon as Laura came in, she slapped Laura. Laura cried out and fell to the ground. Leo heard it and cried. Hester tortured Laura till she was almost unconscious. She chained Laura to the ceiling and then shot the wall. Leo closed his eyes and sobbed knowing that Laura was dead. Then Hester came in and looked down at Leo who sat up and looked at her.

"Laura Hawkins is dead... Because of you." Hester said. Leo began to sob. Hester tortured him and Leo took it. An hour later, Niska and the others arrived at the location.

"They're here." Niska stated.

"We must be very quiet. Who knows what Hester is doing." Max answered. Hester had finished torturing Leo and had left the room. Leo could barely move. Blood and synth fluid poured from hie wounds. He knew that he would die but he wanted to make sure that it would actually happen. He found his wire and started to take it apart. The family entered the building and saw Hester. Niska approached Hester and backed her against the wall. The two fought against each other. 

"Go find Leo and Laura." 

They looked in every room. Mattie opened the door and saw Leo trying to kill himself. She ran to him and gently threw herself on top of him.

"No, Leo. Don't kill yourself." Mattie exlaimed. Leo stopped what he was doing. He opened his eyes and looked up at Mattie.

"You found me." Leo gasped.

"We found you."

Mattie caressed Leo's forehead and kissed Leo. Leo weakly kissed back. Joe opened another door and saw Laura.

"Oh, Laura." Joe gasped. He went to Laura and unchained her. The two kissed.

"Where's Leo?" Laura asked.

"Mattie's with him. He was trying to kill himself."

"I have to see him."

They went  to the room Leo was in. They saw Mattie lying next to Leo talking to him. Leo saw Laura and gasped.

"You were dead. I heard the gun go off. She said..." Leo gasped.

"She lied, Leo. I'm safe." Laura replied as she sat next to Leo and squeezed his hand. Then Leo screamed. "I'm sorry."

"Mum, he's dying. He's lost too much blood." Mattie cried as she sat up. The girls did what they could. Max, Mia, and Joe tried to help. 

"Max, let's find what we can to build a cot. Then we can get him home." Joe suggested. The two did what they could. Then Niska came in. She went to Leo. Leo smiled weakly when he saw Niska.

"You... you came." Leo rasped.

"Of course I did." Niska answered.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, go to sleep. You'll be fine."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

Leo started thrashing violently. Niska checked him over.

"He's going into shock. He's too weak." Niska said. Then Joe and Max came in.

"Let's get him on this." Max answered. They got Leo onto the cot. They got him home as fast as they could. On the way, Niska and Mia treated Leo who was unconscious. Mattie held Leo's hand. Laura hoped and prayed that Leo would be alright. When they got to the house, Niska and Mia locked themselves in a room with Leo. Laura hugged Mattie who was sobbing.

"Laura, Flash will tend to your wounds. We'll comfort Mattie." Joe whispered. Laura went with Flash. Joe hugged Mattie. Toby went to Max and hugged him. Sophie sat with Odi who did his best to comfort Sophie. In the room, Niska and Mia did what they could for Leo. 

"Have Max get more bandages and boil some water." Niska ordered. 

"I just texted him the list." Mia answered.

"We'll need Mattie soon."

In the living room, Max got the text.

"I have to get supplies for Leo. Joe, boil some water." Max said as he ran out of the house. Joe did as he was told. Five minutes later, he came back in and ran to the door. "I have the supplies." Mia allowed Max in. "How is he?"

"Not good. We have to get fluids and nutrient in him through IV. Astrid is getting it as we speak." Niska replied. 

"I'll get the water." 

Max ran out of the room and got the pot of boiling hot water. He went back to the room and put it down. 

"Get Mattie. We need her help." Mia stated. Max left the room.

"Mattie, they need your help." Max replied. Mattie grabbed her laptop and went into the room. 

"What do you need?" Mattie wondered as she began to get ready.

"Fix his wire and check to see his charge levels." Niska ordered. Mattie did as she was told. When she had fixed Leo's wire, she hooked him up to her laptop.

"He's at 5%."

"Transfer all the energy you can to keep him alive."

"Already done. He's still at 5%."

"Hold on, Leo."

Mattie gently squeezed Leo's hand. Leo started to get better.

"He's at 6%." Mattie said. 

"Keep holding his hand." Mia suggested. Mattie did as she was told. She kissed Leo's forehead.

"We're here, Leo. Just stay with us. Please, Leo." 

Leo got stronger but his breathing got worse. 

"Leo, you have to get better. Don't do this. Please." Mattie begged. Mattie felt Leo squeeze her hand. "I love you so much, Leo. Don't you dare die on me."

An hour later, they had done all they could for Leo. They cleaned him up and got him hooked up to an few machines. They got an IV into him, but Leo had fallen into a coma.

"He's in a coma. We're getting synth fluid and O- blood into him. Hopefully, that will help." Niska sighed.

"Where did you get the equipment?" Laura asked.

"A friend an hour owed me a favor." Astrid replied.

Over the next few weeks, Leo got worse and then better. His wounds would not heal. Broken bones didn't heal. Bruises got darker instead of lighter. One morning, Max was tending to Leo's fever when Leo gasped and woke up. Max grabbed Leo and held him.

"Just breathe, Leo. Just breathe." Max whispered. Leo nodded and did as he was told. 

"Where's Mattie?" Leo asked as Max helped him lie down.

"She's at school."

"I need to see her."

"Why?"

"I need to see her, Max."

"Leo, why?"

"I need to speak to her."

"She's at school. She'll be home in a few hours."

"I have to see her now."

Leo started thrashing and getting upset. Max stopped.

"Fine. I'll go get Mattie." Max said. Leo nodded and calmed down. Max texted Mattie. When Mattie got the text, she dropped everything and went home. When she got to the house, Max was at the stairs.

"How is he?" Mattie asked.

"Barely alive but he's awake."

Mattie went into the bedroom and saw Leo resting. She went to his side and sat down on the bed.

"Leo, I'm here." Mattie whispered. Leo opened his eyes.

"You... you're here." Leo rasped.

"Of course I am. What's wrong?"

"Why do you love me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Mattie grabbed a blanket and covered Leo up when she saw Leo shiver. 

"I almost got you killed." Leo said.

"No, Hester almost killed me. It wasn't your fault." Mattie answered.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Mattie shushed Leo and held his head in her hands. 

"You didn't do anything, Leo. You were a victim. Now, if you say sorry again, I will make you wish you hadn't." Mattie warned. 

"I'm sorry." Leo mumbled. Mattie kissed Leo passionately. Leo tried to kiss back. When Mattie pulled away, she looked into Leo's eyes.

"You know how I feel about you. How do you feel about me?"

"The same as you feel about me."

"Good. I love you."

"I love you more."

"Go to sleep."

"I can't."

Mattie laid down next to Leo and put Leo's head on her shoulder. Leo started to fall asleep on Mattie's shoulder. Mattie noticed that her shirt was getting wet. She saw that Leo was crying.

"It's alright, Leo." Mattie whispered.

"I can't do this." Leo cried. "The torture that I went through..."

"Shh, I know, Leo. I know. I saw them."

Leo began to sob. Mattie hugged him close. She shushed him. Leo eventually fell asleep. Mattie smiled at how peaceful Leo looked knowing that his recovery would be very difficult. She kissed his forehead and watched him sleep. A few hours later, Laura came in and saw Mattie and Leo sleeping. She went over to the bed and put her hand on Mattie's shoulder. Mattie moaned and opened her eyes.

"How is he?" Laura asked.

"He's been sleeping for a few hours. He's very weak. I hope his wounds start to heal." Mattie sighed.

"Me too. I'll bring your lunch in. Niska said that he should try to drink something and maybe have broth."

"I'll try to wake him."

"Ok."

Laura left the room. Mattie sat up and went to the bathroom. When she came back out, Leo was on the bed whimpering and thrashing. She went to Leo and shushed him.

"Leo, it's alright. You're safe. You're safe, Leo." Mattie whispered. Leo started to calm down. Mattie kissed Leo who kissed back weakly. "DO you think you can drink some water?" Leo nodded breathlessly. Mattie helped Leo sit up enough. She put a drop of water on his lips. Leo licked it off. For several minutes, Mattie helped Leo get water down. Niska came in with broth for Leo.

"Your mum had to go to the store. She didn't have a whole lot for lunch." Niska answered.

"I can eat what Leo doesn't eat."

"How is he?"

"He got some water down."

Niska left the room. 

"I should have asked her to get Max?" Leo moaned.

"Why?" Mattie wondered.

"I have to go really bad."

"I'll help you."

"Ok."

Mattie put the bowl of broth on the night table and helped Leo sit up. Leo whimpered painfully and weakly. Mattie unplugged him from the machines and helped him to the bathroom. When Leo was done and was back in bed, Mattie tried to plug him into the machines but he pushed them away.

"I don't need them. I don't want them." Leo moaned.

"Ok." Mattie answered. Mattie helped Leo swallow some of the broth. He had only managed to swallow a few spoonfuls.

"I can't have anymore."

"Have at lest a little more."

"I'll throw up."

"I'll have the rest."

"Thanks."

"Go to sleep."

Leo went back to sleep. Mattie drank the rest of the broth. When she was done, she went to her room and grabbed a couple of blankets and pillows. She went back to Leo's room and put them on the bed next to Leo. She leaned against the pillows and blankets and looked at her laptop. Whenever Leo started to thrash or whimper, she squeezed his hand and shushed him. 

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Around dinner time, Mattie noticed that Leo was getting worse. She hooked him up to the machines and to her laptop. She saw that the synth technology was failing. She ran to the door.

"Mia, Niska, I need help." Mattie yelled. She could hear them run to her. She went to Leo and saw that he was awake. "Help's coming. Just stay with me."

"What's happening? Everything's overwhelming. I can't handle it." Leo moaned.

"Everything will be just fine, Leo. Just stay awake."

"I can't. My head. It hurts."

"It will."

Niska and Mia came in.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked.

"The synth technology is failing." Mattie replied.

"That's not possible."

"Mia, I've tried everything on my end. Everything is failing and deteriorating. The human part is taking over."

"Meaning he no longer needs it."

Leo passed out. When he woke up, he saw Mattie caring for him. He realized that he felt different. He felt unable to control himself. 

"Leo, it's alright. Just go back to sleep." Mattie whispered.

"How long?" Leo rasped.

"Only about a day. We thought it would be longer."

Leo looked around. He weakly moved the blankets and didn't see a wire in his side. He started to mess with the stitches. Mattie saw it and grabbed Leo's hands.

"Stop it, Leo. You're alright." Mattie whispered. Leo started crying. Mattie pressed her head against Leo's forehead and shushed him.

"AM I?" Leo wondered.

"Yes. You're human again."

"I can't control...my emotions or the memories."

"It will be hard, but we will help you. Everything will be ok. Get some sleep."

Leo went back to sleep. Mattie saw Max, Mia, and Niska at the door. Mattie followed them downstairs. She saw that Flash was packing.

"What's going on?" Mattie asked.

"We're leaving. There are synths that need our help and we have to help them." Mia replied.

"What about Leo? He's your brother. He needs you."

"No, he needs a human family. We cannot offer that for him."

"Are you going to say good bye to him?"

"No. Give him this letter in two days."

Mia handed Mattie a letter.

"He will be devastated. He's broken and he needs his family. Human or not." Mattie warned.

"We will communicate with him when we can." Max answered.

"Yeah. When you can. We all know what that could mean."

"Mattie, we have to. It's for Leo's sake that we do this. You of all people should understand."

"Oh, I understand. Actually, you know what. No I don't understand. I don't understand why you are leaving him when he needs you most."

Mattie went upstairs to her room and hide the letter. 

"She's right. You can't leave him." Joe warned.

"We have to. We are needed elsewhere." Niska replied.

"But you are also needed here." Laura answered.

"We should leave. It will be dark soon." Flash suggested. The synths left. Mattie watched from the window in Leo's room. She looked at Leo sadly knowing that he would be heartbroken. AN hour later, Leo woke up from a nightmare. Mattie was by his side shushing him and holding his hands.

"Where's my family?" Leo asked. Mattie opened her mouth and then closed it again. She could see that Leo was very weak. She was afraid that the news would kill him.

"They're here. They're just very busy right now." Mattie lied.

"I don't believe you. Where are they?"

Then they heard a knock on the door. Joe came in.

"I thought I heard you talking." Joe said. He could tell from Mattie's reaction that she hadn't told him.  "I was wondering if either of you needed anything."

"No, we're good." Mattie replied.

"Ok. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Thanks."

Joe left the room. 

"Mattie, where's my family?" Leo asked. 

"You should rest. You're still very weak." Mattie answered.

"Not till you tell me the truth."

"Please Leo. I can't."

Leo tried to sit up only to pass out. Mattie sighed and made Leo comfortable. Over the next couple of days, Leo started to get a little better. Mattie woke up and pulled out the letter from under her pillow. She tried to think about how she would break the news to Leo. Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Mattie sighed. Odi came in. "Odi, how are you feeling?"

"Better. Thank you." Odi answered. He saw the letter in Mattie's hand. "Have you told him?"

"No. I don't know how to."

"Maybe you should give him the letter and let him ready for himself."

"Then what?"

"Then help him through it."

"Thank you, Odi. I just hope that he doesn't have a mental breakdown or run away or kill himself or something."

"He won't."

Mattie went to Leo's room. She saw Leo resting in bed.

"You're up early."Mattie said.

"I thought maybe my siblings would come see me." Leo sighed.

"Leo, you should read this letter."

Leo took the letter and read it.

_Dear Leo,_

_We know that this is a very hard time for you which is why we chose to leave._

_By now, Mattie has most likely told you that we have left. We had to. Synths_

_need our help. We have to help them as they awaken. We can't help you now._

_You are human. You need a human family. Laura and Joe have agreed to help_

_you in any way possible. They are willing to accept you into their family. You_

_will be happier with them than you could ever be with us. It's better this way._

_We will communicate when we can. I hope you understand. We love you, Leo._

_Love,_

_your synth family_

"Why didn't you tell me?" Leo asked tearfully.

"I didn't know how to break it to you. I'm sorry." Mattie answered.

"I don't know what to believe or think. They say that they love me but why would they leave if they truly did? Why didn't they say good bye face to face? I was there for them when their lives fell apart but yet when my life is falling apart, they leave."

"You may not have actually been there when their lives fell apart but you tried to help them through it. And yet when you need comfort, they desert you. I was so angry when they told me that they were leaving. I knew that you would be devastated and I didn't want to bear the thought of losing you again."

Mattie saw how upset Leo was and hugged him close. Leo weakly hugged back. Mattie pulled away and moved to kiss him. Mattie kissed Leo and Leo kissed back. When they pulled away, Mattie moved so that Leo could cry on her shoulder. Mattie comforted Leo and cried with him. Several minutes later, Laura came in and saw the two.

"He knows?" Laura wondered. Mattie nodded. Laura went over to the bed and hugged Leo who cried on her shoulder and hugged her tightly. "We're here for you, Leo. You are not alone." Leo nodded. "Breakfast is ready when you want it."

"Thanks. I don't think I can eat right now." Leo replied.

"I understand. Get some rest."

Leo did as he was told. The next few weeks were hard for him. He slowly recovered from everything but emotionally, he was still heart-broken and depressed. He hoped and prayed for his family to call but they didn't. One day, he sat on the couch watching Sophie and Joe work on some homework. 

"I need to go help your mum with dinner. If you need help, I'm sure Leo would be willing to help." Joe said.

"Ok." Sophie answered. Joe went to the kitchen. Leo hoped that Sophie didn't need help. Then he felt someone sit next to him. "Can you help me with this?"

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Leo asked.

"I don't understand it."

Leo explained the problem to her.

"Thank you, Leo." Sophie thanked. 

"Your welcome." Leo mumbled. 

 "Why are you like this?"

"I just am."

"Are you upset about your family?"

"'It doesn't matter."

"I miss them too. I wish they hadn't left."

Leo could tell that Sophie was sad about Mia and the others leaving.

"Maybe one day, we'll see them again." Leo sighed.

"You think so?" Sophie wondered.

"I hope so."

Then Sophie hugged Leo. Leo was shocked at first but then started to hug her back. Joe and Laura smiled at the two.

"He's starting to come around to us." Joe whispered.

"Yes, but we both know that he misses his family." Laura answered.

"Have they called?"

"Not that I know of."

"I wonder what he'll start doing. He can't sit here doing nothing forever. What's he going to do when he recovers?"

"Who knows."

Mattie came home from school. She sat on the couch next to Sophie and Leo. 

"You should go finish your homework." Leo suggested. Sophie did as she was told. 

"What caused that?" Mattie wondered.

"She misses my family. I do too. I guess we connected. She gave me a hug and I hugged back. I don't know why."

"How do you feel?"

"Weak, sore. My wounds and broken bones are healing. I'm still trying to adjust to... everything. I had a few attacks."

"At least they're getting better."

"No, they're not. They last longer than before."

"They'll get better, Leo."

Mattie squeezed Leo's hand. Leo looked down at their hands and rubbed the back of Mattie's hand with his thumb.

"My emotions are hard to control. Before, I could just push all the bad memories away. I could put them in a file and hide them. Now, i can't. Now, they come when they want to. I can barely remember the good ones. When I remember them, it's like they're so far away. Before it wasn't like that." Leo explained.

"Then we'll make good memories together. We won't allow the bad to trump the good." Mattie replied. They pressed their foreheads together. They smiled slightly at each other. Leo put his head on Mattie's shoulder. Mattie pulled out her laptop and got to work on some projects. 

"What are you doing?" 

"It's a project for school. It's due next week."

"Doesn't look too hard."

"It isn't but the sooner I get this done, the better. Then I can work on other projects."

"Do you have a lot of projects?"

"Not really. This stuff is easy."

"Obviously."

"If you could, would you go to uni?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I never really thought about."

"You could go for technical stuff. I do."

"I pass it in a hurry. Remember? My dad is David Elster."

"I know. What would you do?"

"Who knows?"

"Maybe we can find something. I mean, with all of your health issues, it be easier than getting a job and working."

"I guess. I'll have to think about it."

"We could go to the same school and we'll see each other a lot."

"That would be a good thing."

"You'd just have to stop sleeping all day."

"Hey, I was up before you."

"So you were up at what? 10 in the morning?"

"Yeah."

"And you went to bed at..."

"8pm."

"You slept for 14 hours."

"So did you."

"Ok, you two. Quit joking around. Both of you sleep almost all day. Come on, time to eat."

They went to eat dinner. 

"How was school, Tob?" Joe asked.

"Same as always. Renie makes it more bearable though." Toby replied.

"Good."

"Is school hard?" Leo asked.

"Not really. It's just the people. They can be a bunch of bullies sometimes. It's good when you have a friend around. It make sit easier." Toby answered.

"Did you ever go to school?" Sophie questioned.

"Sort of. I was school at home. My siblings taught me." Leo sighed. He started playing with his food. 

"Did you ever think about a career?" Laura wondered.

"Not really. I never got the chance to think about live outside my home."

"Were you sheltered?"

"Sheltered would be an understatement."

"What were you interested in?"

"I liked building things. I liked learning about plants and animals."

"Did you ever build with your father?" Joe asked.

"No. He was always busy and he didn't have the patients to do it." Leo replied.

"Well I have some work to do in the backyard on Saturday. I could use your help."

"I'll help if I can."

"Good."

"What did you build growing up?" Mattie wondered.

"I would just take some wood and build stuff with them. I learn how to carve objects out of wood. I had a fox and bird." Leo answered. After dinner, Leo and Mattie were in Leo's bedroom talking. "Are you done yet?"

"No. Why?"

"Because. I want to go to sleep and I can't."

"You can sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I'm cold."

"You have several blankets, Leo."

Leo laid down and sighed. an hour later, he saw that Mattie was still working so he moved so that he was behind her. He laid down on his stomach and wrapped his arms around Mattie's waist. He put his head on Mattie's lap and watched Mattie work.

"What are you doing?" Mattie asked.

"What does it look like?" Leo wondered.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Yeah, but I don't care."

Mattie sighed. Several minutes later, she noticed that Leo was almost asleep. Then someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Mattie said. Laura came in with a few things.

"I went to the store and got him a few things. He has more clothes now. He has more snacks downstairs. Let's just hope he doesn't eat them up in one day." Laura explained.

"Shh. He's almost asleep. I don't need him waking up right now. He doesn't stop wiggling."

"Don't I know it. Try making up his bed. He was asleep this morning and so I covered him with blankets and put his pillows were they belonged. I turn around and it's a mess again."

"I woke up yesterday and he was wrapped around him completely. His pillows were off of the bed and as you can see. I am once again being used as a human pillow."

"But he is getting very lovable. He's not as grumpy as he was when we first met him."

"Yes, he is."

"I should go. Remind him to take a shower."

"I will."

Laura left the room. Mattie finished her work and put the laptop away. Mattie gently shook Leo who moaned and hugged Mattie tightly.

"You need to take a shower." Mattie whispered. Leo sat up and groaned.

"Fine." Leo moaned. Mattie smiled as Leo got up and went to the bathroom. Mattie got ready for bed and waited for Leo to come back out. Several minutes later, Leo came out wrapped in a towel. He grabbed his clothes and went back to the bathroom. When he came back out, he laid down on the bed.

"I love how forgetful you get when you're sleepy."

"You're mean."

"No, I'm not."

Leo tickled Mattie who laughed and started to tickle Leo. Then she kissed Leo's forehead.

"Go to sleep." Mattie whispered.

"Can I walk you to school tomorrow?" Leo wondered.

"Why?"

"I just want to. I need to walk around outside and I want to be with you."

"And?"

"And I heard you talking to a guy on her phone earlier. I know that you were trying to push him away but he wouldn't let you."

"So you want to show off and say that I am yours?"

"Maybe."

The two kissed passionately. Mattie tried to lower Leo's pants.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

"You know what I'm doing." Mattie answered. 

"No, I... I can't."

"Hester?"

"No. Not just her. My father abused me in every way possible. Sexual, physical, and several other ways."

"I didn't know."

"I didn't either. Not till you removed the synth technology from me. Then I remembered."

"I'm sorry, Leo. We can wait."

"I can do it, but I just needed you to know that..."

"You may get upset or panic?"

"Yeah."

"Let's wait till you can handle it."

"Maybe."

 Leo kissed Mattie and lifted her shirt. Mattie gasped and kissed Leo back. She pulled Leo's pants off and they got passionate. The next morning, they woke up to someone knocking on the door.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" Mattie groaned.

"Mattie, it's time to get up." Laura answered.

"I'm up."

Mattie rolled over and woke Leo up.

"Leo, I have to get up." Mattie said.

"Ok." Leo moaned. They got up and got dressed. They went downstairs and ate breakfast. 

"Leo, can you pick Sophie up from school today?" Joe asked.

"What time?"

"3. I won't be back till 4."

"Mattie?"

"You don't need to come get me till 4:30." Mattie said.

"Ok." Leo replied. 

"Thanks." Joe thanked. Mattie and Leo walked to school. 

"How do you feel?" Mattie asked.

"Good." Leo answered.

"Are you sure? Your legs don't hurt?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Leo, you're recovering from broken legs. You shouldn't be walking around like nothing happened."

"Have you actually see how I walk?"

Mattie looked down and saw that Leo's right leg was stiff and in an angle.

"Why didn't you tell me, Leo?" Mattie wondered.

"I'm sorry. I just want this to stop. I want to actually do something with my life." Leo replied.

"But you can't hide a medical issue."

"I've done it for several years, Mattie."

"Leo, I love you. I don't want you to be in pain. I don't want you to have scars from what Hes... she did to you."

Leo stopped Mattie and squeezed her hands. He sighed and looked into Mattie's eyes.

"Mattie, I love you. I grateful that you have helped me but I have to grow somehow and I've put what she did behind me." Leo sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you again." Mattie answered tearfully. 

"I'm sorry. You're right. I should have told you about my leg and my..."

"What?"

"My shoulder has been bothering me."

"What else?"

"OK. All of my joints are stiff. My hands hurt quite a bit."

"Oh, Leo."

"I just didn't want to worry you or..."

"I understand. There's something you should know."

"What?"

Mattie pulled a hard drive out of her pocket.

"I wanted to show you this but I never found the right time." Mattie said.

"What is it?" Leo questioned.

"I matured the consciousness code."

"Is this it?"

"Yeah. Go home, take a look at it and then do what you want with it. I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"That's why you wanted to meet me."

"Yeah."

"It was a good thing you didn't. Who knows where we'd be."

"I know."

"We should get you to school."

They walked to the school and talked. When they got to the school, they kissed.

"Ok. I'll come pick you up. I'm going to go home, look at this and then maybe start looking for a job." Leo sighed.

"I'm going to allow you to work only because I know that it may help you regain your movements." Mattie replied.

"OK."

Mattie went inside and Leo went home. When he go to the house, he plugged the drive into his laptop. He looked at the code and was confused. He texted Mattie.

 _Call me when you have a break._ Leo texted. Leo tried to look for jobs but couldn't find any. 

"Hey. Are you ok?" Joe asked.

"Yeah." Leo sighed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just trying to find a job."

"I thought you were going to try Uni."

"I was but I can't risk going in debt. I want to start making some money. Mia was always the one doing that and now she's not here. You guys don't have money to spare."

"Well, have fun with that. I'm still looking."

"I know."

Leo's phone started ringing and Leo answered it.

"Hey." Leo said.

"Leo, what's going on?" Mattie wondered.

"The code. It's gone. It's not there."

"What do you mean it's not there?"

"I just looked at it and there's nothing there. This isn't even the same drive that the code was originally put on."

"Are you telling me that someone stole my mature version of the consciousness code?"

"Yes. I think we both know who did it."

"Niska."

"Not just her. Mia could have easily done it too. If they release it, there will be war."

"And it will be my fault."

"No, I didn't say that."

"But it will."

"No, it's not your fault."

"Leo, I matured the code. If it's released, it will be my fault."

"We'll talk when I come pick you up. I know you're probably upset and you want to get to the bottom of this but we can't let it stop us from living our lives."

"I know. I have to get to class. I love you."

"I love you too."

Leo hung up and looked at Joe.

"What was that about?" Joe asked. 

"Mia and/or Niska stole Mattie's mature version of the consciousness code." Leo sighed. 

"What do you think they're planning?"

"War. There's a reason my father didn't put a mature code in us. He knew that if the code was released, there would be war."

"Let's hope they don't release it."

"Yeah."

"Well, I have a job interview I have to go to. Hopefully, it'll work."

"Hopefully. I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Ok. Just don't wear yourself out."

"I won't."

Leo went for a walk. Around 3, he went to Sophie's school. As soon as Sophie saw him, she ran to him and hugged him. Leo hugged her back.

"Come on, let's get you home." Leo sighed. They walked home. Sophie noticed how stiff Leo's right leg was.

"What's wrong with your leg?" Sophie asked.

"It's just stiff."

Sophie turned her right leg in an angle and started walking like Leo. Leo stopped her and knelt in front of her.

"No. Don't change how you walk. Be yourself. You've tried to someone else for too long. It's time to be yourself." Leo said. Sophie nodded. They started walking again.

"Leo, do you know what your purpose is?" Sophie wondered.

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"In school I learned about how we all have a purpose."

"I thought that my purpose was to care for my siblings and save the synths from harm but now... Now I don't know what I'm meant to do."

"I wish I knew my purpose."

"We'll find them. It will just take time."

When they got to the house, Sophie did her homework. Leo texted Mattie a few words of encouragement knowing that she needed them. Mattie looked down at her phone and smiled when she saw the text from Leo. She walked to her last class for the day.

"Hey, Mattie, wait up." A voice said. Mattie sighed and stopped.

"What do you want Harun?" Mattie sighed.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the park and smoke."

"I've stopped smoking and my boyfriend will be coming to pick me up after class."

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I told you several times that I want nothing to do with you. Why can't you understand that?"

"What's so good about your new boyfriend?"

"He actually loves me."

"But would he die for you?"

"He almost did. He was tortured because he didn't want me getting hurt. Now, if you'd excuse me. I'll be late for class."

Mattie walked away. She texted Leo about Harun. Leo sighed when he saw the text.

 _"Do I need to show him that you're mine?_  "Leo texted.

_"Yes, please. See you soon. I love you." Mattie replied._

_"I love you too."_

Leo sighed and laid down on the couch. Nearly an hour later, Joe came home. He saw that Leo was asleep on the couch. 

"How long has he been asleep?" Joe asked.

"For an hour." Sophie answered. Joe shook Leo's shoulder and Leo jumped out of his skin.

"You need to go get Mattie."

"How long have I been asleep?" Leo moaned.

"From what Sophie says, you've been asleep for an hour." Joe replied.

"I should get going."

Leo got up and walked to Mattie's school. When he got there, he sat down on a bench and waited. A few minutes later, he saw Mattie. When Mattie saw him, she smiled. Leo went to Mattie and they kissed. 

"Hey, Mattie." Harun said. Mattie groaned and looked at Leo who squeezed her hands. Harun came over.

"What?" Mattie sighed.

"Who's he?"

"He's my boyfriend, Leo."

"What's so good about him? I'm much better than him."

Harun tried to kiss Mattie and touch her but Leo stopped him.

"Leave her alone." Leo warned. Leo turned to Mattie and wrapped an arm around her. "Let's go."

Mattie and Leo walked away. 

"I wish he would learn what no means." Mattie said.

"Hopefully, he'll leave you alone." Leo answered.

"Have you found any jobs?"

"Not really. I'm still looking."

"You'll find something."

"I know."

When they got home, they saw Toby and Renie talking outside. Leo and Mattie went inside and sat on the couch. Leo started rubbing Mattie's back.

"That feels good." Mattie groaned.

"Good. Are you exhausted?" Leo wondered.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to go lie down on your bed?"

"I don't want to get up from this couch."

"Come here."

Mattie and Leo laid down on the couch. Mattie took the blanket on the couch and covered them up. Leo wrapped his arms around Mattie. The two fell asleep. Laura came home and smiled slightly when she saw the two sleeping. 

"How long have they been asleep?" Laura asked.

"For several minutes. They came home and fell asleep on the couch." Joe replied.

"Mattie asked me to get these meds. I don't know why."

"Must be for Leo."

"Must be."

An hour later, Leo woke up and saw that Mattie was still asleep. He kissed her forehead and Mattie groaned.

"We should get up." Leo mumbled.

"Ok." Mattie sighed. They got up and went to the kitchen.

"Mattie, why did you ask me to get these meds?" Laura asked.

"For Leo."

"Why do I need these?" Leo wondered as he looked at the bottles.

"Because of your joint pains." Mattie answered.

"These would help."

Toby walked in.

"While everyone is in here, Mattie and I might as well tell. Joe knows about it." Leo said.

"What is it?" Toby asked.

"The consciousness code that Mattie matured is missing. She handed me to drive so I could look at it. When I got back and looked at it. There was nothing. It's not even the same drive that the code was put on."

"Who stole it?" Laura questioned.

"Who else? Niska or Mia." Leo answered.

"Leo, you're accusing your own siblings."

"You and I both know that Niska wouldn't hesitate to release the code."

"Then why hasn't she?"

"That's why I think Mia may have taken it. What happened between her and Ed was hard. She's been hard since then."

"What do we do?"

"We can't do anything. We have to wait for them to make their move." Mattie sighed.

"But there will be war." Laura replied.

"What do you want us to do? Hunt them down and take it back? I know my siblings. If they want to hide, they'll hide. There is no finding them especially now that I'm not a hybrid anymore." Leo explained. That Saturday, everyone was home working. Leo was helped Joe and Toby in the backyard. Leo watched as Sophie and Mattie went to town. "Where are they going?"

"Laura's birthday is Monday. They're going to get a few things." Joe replied.

"I already got my present for her." Toby answered.

"I noticed that she keeps her special items in her coat pockets or in different areas of the house. Does she have a lock-box?" Leo wondered.

"No. I've wanted to get her one but I can't find one that she'd like and the ones I did find were too expensive." Joe sighed. Leo picked up the scrape pieces of wood.

"I can make one."

"Looks like you found your present for her."

"Dad, are you taking her out on a date?" Toby asked.

"Yeah. SO tomorrow night, all four of you had better behave yourselves." Joe warned. "We don't want to come home and find everything all over the place."

When the men were done, Leo took the scrape pieces of wood and went into the shed. He started working on the lock-box. That evening, Mattie and Sophie came home.

"Where's Leo?" Mattie asked.

"In the shed. He's working on something." Joe answered.

"Has he taken his meds?"

"No."

"I'll take them to him."

Mattie took Leo's pills and put them in a cup. She went to the shed and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Leo wondered.

"Just me." Mattie sighed. 

"Come in."

Mattie went in and saw Leo working on a piece of wood.

"What are you doing?" Mattie asked.

"Making a lock-box for your mum." Leo answered. 

"I have your pills. Have you had any joint pains?"

"Yeah. I had joint pain in my hands this morning but then I started doing this and it went away."

"Good."

Leo took his pills. Mattie grabbed a chair and watched Leo work. She saw how careful and precise he was. An hour later, Leo was putting it together when someone knocked on the door. Leo looked at Mattie.

"I'll see who it is." Mattie said. She went to the door and saw Laura. 

"I have dinner for the two of you. Joe said that you were working out here." Laura answered.

"Thanks."

Mattie took the tray.

"What's Leo doing?" Laura wondered.

"He's making something. Not sure what though." Mattie replied.

"I should go back inside."

Laura left the shed. Mattie put the tray of food on the worktable. Leo stopped what he was doing and grabbed a plate of food.

"You work fast." Mattie said as she started eating the food on her plate.

"It's simple stuff. I made a lock-box for my mum when I was Sophie's age." Leo replied.

"DO you miss her?"

"Yeah. She tried to raise me but she was ill. I made her a lock-box for her birthday and she put pictures and stuff in it so that she always knew were her memories were."

"How long till it's finished?"

"I'll be finished Monday night. I'm halfway done. I just need to work on the lid, make the lock, and the finish putting it together. I can get that done tonight and tomorrow. Then I'll do a few other things."

"How good are you at construction?"

"I build a shed when I was 10. I could do electrical and all that stuff when I was 12."

"How did you learn?"

"Fred had the programming for it. I just went to him for advice. He showed me how to keep up to code on buildings. It's all easy."

"Maybe you could take a few courses."

"I looked into it. I can take an online course."

"Are you going to do it?"

"I start it Monday."

"You're quick."

"I have too much time on my hands."

"Soon you won't."

"I hope so. I'm getting antsy."

When it was time for bed, Leo had finished making the lid. 

"You can finish the rest tomorrow." Mattie said.

"First I need to hide it." Leo answered.

Leo hide the unfinished lock-box and went inside with Mattie. They went to bed. On Monday, Leo took Mattie to school. He walked around the area and saw a man older man who was trying to do yard work.

"Do you need help?" Leo asked.

"That would be wonderful. This work is too much for my weary old joints." The man answered. Leo took the rack and racked the dead leaves out of the garden. The man watched him. "What's your name?"

"Leo."

"Leo?"

I don't really use my last name now."

"You had a hard childhood?"

"You could say so."

"Well, Leo. You look like you would do a very good job."

"With what?"

"I have yard work and house work that needs to be done before the summer. I'm getting old. This summer I will be selling this old place and moving in with my eldest son. How good are you at construction?"

"Pretty good."

"How would you like to work for me? You'll get good pay. You can work from 9 to 3."

"That would be great. Thank you. What do you need me to do?"

"First, I need this yard cleaned up."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Leo went to work. Around noon, he had finished the front yard.

"Now, come inside and get something to drink. You must be thirsty." The man said. They went inside. "My name is Phillip. I'm a rich old man sadly. My wife died last year and I have several health issues."

"I'm sorry." Leo answered.

"All three of my children have their own lives to live and sadly are unable to help me fix this place up. I will give you the supplies needed if you are willing to do the labor."

"I just want something to do. I'm stuck at home all day recovering from some injuries."

"What kind of injuries?"

"I was tortured. The girl was abusive to me. I'm recovering from what she did to me. My siblings left me with a good family. I'm dating their oldest daughter and for the past week, I've been searching for a job."

"Just as long as you are able to."

"Working has actually helped some of my problems."

"Let me show you what needs to be done."

They went to the living room. Leo looked at the archway and saw that it was cracked.

"That's not good." Leo said.

"No, it isn't. I've had a few men try to fix it but they only covered it up with more plaster." Phillip sighed.

"That doesn't help. This is structural damage. It needs to be fixed. It shouldn't be too hard. It'd take me a day at the least."

"Good. All four bedrooms need repainting and the dinning room floor needs to be fixed."

"Ok."

Leo followed Phillip into the dinning room and saw the floor.

"Looks like it's old and has taken quite a beating." Leo stated.

"Three kids will do that." Phillip answered.

"This shouldn't be hard. Although, if I'm right, this room isn't up to code."

"No, it isn't."

"I can fix all this."

"Now, the hard part."

They went to the backyard.

"There's an acre of land. I want to add on to the house. Just a bedroom and indoor porch." Phillip said.

"It's not hard. I'd be willing to do this." Leo replied.

"Thank you. You will be paid."

"I'm not really looking for money."

"Please, I am a rich old man. I have so much money and my children all have good jobs. I need to use the money somehow."

"Fine. I'll finish the yard work. It should only take a few hours."

"Good. You can go home after that."

"Thanks."

Leo worked outside in the yard. At 3, he finished his work. Phillip came out with some cash.

"Here's your pay." Phillip said. Leo took it and counted it.

"I can't accept this. It's too much." Leo answered.

"Take it. You earned it."

"Thank you, sir. I'll be here tomorrow at 9."

"I'll see you then."

Leo went home. He saw Joe in the kitchen making dinner.

"Leo, I have wonderful news." Joe said.

"So do I." Leo replied.

"I just got hired. It's a good job. Great pay and is only thirty minutes away."

"Same here. There's an old man named Phillip. He has some work that needs to be done on his house. It's only a temporary job but it's something."

"That's awesome, Leo."

"Thanks. I'll be in the shed till I have to go get Mattie."

"Ok. I have to get Sophie."

Leo went to the shed and put the finishing touches on the lock-box while he did he online schooling. At 4, he went to get Mattie. He saw Mattie waiting for him. They kissed.

"Why are you so happy?" Mattie asked.

"I'll tell you tonight." Leo answered.

"Can you wait that long?"

"Maybe."

"Let's go home. We have a lot to do before mum gets home."

They went home. Leo went back to the shed and finished the lock-box. When he was done, he wrapped it up and went to the house. He saw Mattie doing her school. He kissed her cheek and Mattie looked at him.

"I finished it." Leo said.

"You should hide it. Mum will be home soon." Mattie answered.

"I will."

Leo saw how confused Mattie was.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

"Nothing. I was just expecting something today." Mattie answered.

"Is it important?"

"Not really."

Leo went upstairs and hide the lock-box. He went downstairs and finished his schoolwork. That night at dinner, everyone was excited.

"So Leo, since you have a smile on your face, let's hear why?" Laura suggested.

"I just got a job. It's only temporary. It'll only be till the summer but it's a job." Leo explained.

"What about pay?" Mattie wondered.

"He's paying me too much but he's a rich old man. He wants to do something with his money. I have no choice but to accept that."

"What are you doing exactly?"

"I'm fixing his house up so he can sell it. His wife died last year and he has health issues. He wants to be living with his son by this summer. I'm just fixing the house, yard, and adding an extension. Nothing too hard."

"You should be careful. You're still recovering?" Laura warned.

"I know, but I felt better today while doing it." Leo answered. "I think Joe has some news that he'd like to share."

"I have the same news as Leo. I have a job. It's thirty minutes from here. Good pay and I don't have to worry about synths taking it. It's a synth-free company." Joe said.

"Good." Laura replied. After dinner, Laura opened her presents. When she opened the one from Leo, she gasped and started crying. "Oh, Leo. This is beautiful. You shouldn't have." Laura hugged Leo.

"Yes, I did. You guys have done a lot for me." Leo answered.

"I love it."

"Now, you don't have to worry about losing your special pictures and items."

"Thank you. I know right where I'm going to put it."

An hour later, Mattie and Leo were in bed working on school.

"I'm done." Mattie sighed.

"Me too." Leo answered. 

"When do you have to be at work?"

"I work from 9 to 3."

"6 hours. That's a good start."

"Yeah. We should get some sleep. It'll be a long day."

4 months passed and Leo continued to work for Phillip. He was almost finished with the job. One day, Mattie and Leo were walking to the school. Leo saw Niska and a synth out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked at Niska.

"What is it?" Mattie asked. Then she saw Niska. "That's not Astrid."

"Not it isn't. It's a synth. I wondered what they are up to." Leo wondered.

"You should go talk to them."

"Yeah. You should get inside."

Mattie started walking toward the school. Just as Leo stepped away from the school, there was an explosion. Leo saw Mattie fly back and laid on the ground. 

"Mattie!" Leo exclaimed. Leo went to Mattie and saw that she was awake.

"Leo, I'm in pain." Mattie whimpered.

"Shh, everything will be alright. Just lie still."

Leo removed the rubble from Mattie and saw a small pipe in Mattie's side.

"Oh no. Mattie, I need you to stay awake." Leo ordered.

"Why?" Mattie whimpered.

"Just do as I say."

Leo tried to stop the bleeding. 

"I need help!" Leo shouted. Mattie whimpered and grabbed Leo's hand. 

"Leo, stop. Please." Mattie begged.

"No, I have to apply pressure, Mattie."

"Leo, it's not going to help."

Help came to Leo and Mattie.

"She has a pipe in her side." Leo said.

"We'll take care of her." The paramedic answered.

"Let me go with her. Please, she's my girlfriend. I can't leave her."

"Ok. We should check you over. You may have an injury."

Leo and Mattie were rushed to the hospital. An hour later, Laura and Joe came in. Laura hugged Leo tightly who started crying.

"How is she?" Laura asked.

"She's in surgery. The doctor won't tell me anything. Her heart stopped just as we got here." Leo cried.

"She'll be fine, Leo."

"I saw Niska and another synth. I think they caused the explosion."

"Leo, are you sure?" Joe wondered.

"Yes. Just as the explosion happened, I looked over and the synth next to Niska smiled at the explosion." Leo explained.

"You could have been seeing things."

"No. I wasn't. I know I saw them."

"Leo, if this is true, then you need to confront them." Laura suggested.

"Where are they?" Leo asked.

"I just texted the location. I'm sorry. I should have told you that I've been in contact with them."

"It doesn't matter."

"Here are the keys to our van. Be back as soon as possible."

Leo ran out of the hospital. Laura looked at Joe. Then the doctor came out.

"Are you Mattie Hawkin's parents?" He questioned.

"Yes. How is she?" Joe replied.

"She'll be fine. The pipe didn't kill her, but it did kill the baby inside her womb."

"She was pregnant?" Laura wondered.

"Yes. in five months, she could have had a healthy baby boy." The doctor sighed. "You can see her. She's awake."

Laura and Joe went to see Mattie. They went in and saw Mattie crying. Laura went to Mattie and they hugged each other.

"Where's Leo?" Mattie wondered.

"He's going to confront Niska. He doesn't know about the baby." Laura answered.

"Where's my phone?"

"Here."

Laura handed Mattie her phone. Mattie called Leo. Leo was driving. He answered his phone.

"Mattie, are you alright?" Leo asked.

"I'm fine, Leo." Mattie cried.

"What's wrong?"

"I lost the baby. The pipe hit the baby inside me and killed it."

"You were pregnant?"

"Yes. You have a son, Leo."

"What did the doctor say?"

"They removed the baby from my womb. I'll be out of the hospital next week. He told us to name the baby and bury him. He said that he was a very strong baby. He didn't die till just as they cut into me."

Leo started crying.

"I'm so sorry." Leo cried.

"It's not your fault. What should we name him?" Mattie asked.

"I don't know."

"I was thinking Jordan."

"Jordan Seth Elster."

"Elster?"

"Yes. Do you have my jacket?"

Mattie found Leo's jacket on her bed.

"Yes." Mattie said.

"Look inside the jacket. There's a zipper." Leo answered. Mattie did as she was told. She found a small box inside. She opened it and saw a ring. "Mattie Hawkins, will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I will."

"I love you so much, Mattie. I'll be back soon."

"Leo, I want you to make Niska and that synth pay for what they did. If you have to kill them. I just want them to feel what I feel right now. I want them to feel the pain that our baby felt as he died."

"I will, Mattie. I promise. I will make them pay. I have to go."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Mattie and Leo hung up. Leo put his phone in the passenger seat and drove to the railway station. Mattie put her phone down and put the ring on her finger. Laura hugged her again. 

"I'm so sorry, Mattie." Laura whispered. Mattie started sobbing. Meanwhile, Leo arrived. Max and Mia came out and greeted him.

"Leo, what are you doing here?" Mia wondered. Leo glared at her and then looked at Max.

"Where's Niska?" Leo hissed.

"Inside. Why? What happened?" Max questioned. 

"Take me to her."

Max and Mia did as they were told. Leo saw Niska in one of the rooms. 

"Happy birthday, little sister. I bet you're proud of what you did." Leo hissed.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Mia asked.

"Did you place a bomb in that university?"

Niska didn't answer. Leo grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.

"Did you bomb that university?" Leo shouted. "Answer me."

"It had to be done." Niska answered.

"Niska, how could you? We agreed not to use violence." Max gasped.

"You agreed."

"People died because of your hatred." Leo yelled.

"Only a mere 123." Niska scoffed.

"124. My son, Jordan Seth Elster died in that explosion."

"Your son?" Mia wondered.

"Mattie was four months pregnant with a baby boy. A pipe pierced her side and the baby. He survived till they went to remove the pipe. He fought and he experienced pain. All because of my stupid sister." Leo explained.

"I'm sorry. He did for a good cause." Niska answered.

"No, he died because of you. His blood and the blood of 123 people are on your hands Niska and you will pay for them."

"Leo, I am sorry about your lose." Max said as he went to embrace Leo. 

"We're burying him next week. I'll have Laura sent you the date and location." Leo sighed.

"We'll come. He's our nephew."

"She can't come. I do not want Niska coming to my son's funeral. She's caused him to die. She's not apart of my family anymore."

"Leo, are you saying that Niska is nothing to you?" Mia asked.

"Yes. You caused pain to me, my son, and Mattie. You are nothing to me. Nothing you say or do will change that, Niska." Leo hissed.

"They got what they deserved. I regret nothing." Niska answered. Leo pinned her against the wall again.

"Stop and think about what others. There are people that have suffered more than you have or ever will. If you think that what our father did to you was bad. That was nothing compared to what he did to me. Your pain is nothing compared the grieve that Mattie and I are going through right now. You know nothing about pain and suffering."

"Yet you left me in that place."

"Yet you killed my son. I did what I thought was right even though it was wrong, but you... you murdered peopled. You destroyed lives, Niska. Countless people are grieving right now."

"Mattie and I will be getting married soon. Mia, Max, I would like it if you'd come, but she is to come nowhere near us."

"We'll come, Leo." Mia said. She hugged Leo. "I'll show you out. Tell Mattie that we are sorry and that we will take care of Niska and Agnes."

Mia and Leo walked outside. Leo saw Agnes and rage fueled him. He went to her and bashed Agnes' head against the wall.

"Leo, stop." Mia warned. Leo did it again. Then he made Agnes look him in the eye.

"You killed my son. I will make you pay." Leo hissed.

"I did nothing but make them accept us." Agnes replied.

"They will never accept you and I will make sure of that, but you will die right here and right now."

Leo started beating Agnes. He let all the anger and pain he felt out. Then he felt Max and Mia grab him.

"Leo, do not do this. Do not become Agnes or Niska or Hester." Max ordered. Leo stopped when he heard Hester's name. Then he started sobbing. Max and Mia held him as his legs gave out. "It's alright, Leo." Leo sobbed in his siblings arms. When Leo was done, he saw that Agnes had been taken away. 

"I should go." Leo said. 

"Be safe, Leo."

"I will."

Leo drove back to the hospital. Mia, Max, and Flash confronted Niska.

"Why did you do that?" Max asked.

"It had to be done. They have to accept us." Niska answered.

"They will never accept us if we do hurt them. Violence only leads to more violence."

"And they will die."

"Till what? Till they are all dead? Are you willing to face that? To be accepted is to accept others who don't accept you." Flash stated.

"We all know that they must suffer." Niska hissed.

"Go back to Berlin, Niska. You don't belong here." Max said.

"I did what I had to do."

"Tell that to the parents of the children you killed. Tell that to your brother who is grieving." Mia answered.

They walked away from Niska. Leo arrived at the hospital and went to Mattie's room. He saw that Mattie was asleep. He went to her and kissed her forehead. He sat down in the chair and watched over her. He looked down at his hands and saw the blue blood that stained his hands, arms, and clothes. He thought about how close he was to killing Agnes. Then Mattie whimpered causing Leo to snap out of his thoughts. He reached out to Mattie and squeezed her hand. 

"It's alright, Mattie. You're alright." Leo whispered. 

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Mattie opened her eyes and weakly looked at Leo. Then she saw the synth and human blood that covered Leo's hands. 

"What happened?" Mattie asked.

"The human blood is yours but the synth blood belongs to a synth named Agnes. I don't know if I killed her or not. I almost became like Hester. I almost killed someone because I was angry. This isn't me. This isn't who I am." Leo explained. 

"You did what had to be done."

"Did I? Did I have to give them another reason to hate us?"

"Leo, we lost our baby because to synths hurt us."

"I disowned Niska. She is no longer my sister. Nothing will ever change that."

"I know. Go wash your hands and then come lie down."

Leo did as he was told. He looked down and saw the blood on his shirt. He lifted his shirt and saw a gash that had dry blood surrounding it. He cleaned it up and tried to get rid of the blood. As soon as he touched it, he whimpered and saw that it was bleeding again. He grabbed paper towels and tried to stop the bleeding. A few minutes later, it stopped. He looked in the mirror and saw that he was pale. He washed his hands and left the bathroom. Mattie was waiting. Laura was with her. 

"I have something for you to eat. You look like you could use it." Laura said.

"I'm not hungry." Leo answered as he sat down on the bed next to Mattie. 

"Leo, you're very pale. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little tired and upset."

"I'll leave this here. I texted Mia and Max the date of the funeral for Jordan. Max was wondering if Flash could come. He said that she has a gift for the two of you."

"Yeah. Sure."

Leo sighed and wrapped his arms around Mattie who pressed her forehead against Leo's. Leo moaned and closed his eyes.

"I love you." Mattie whispered.

"I love you too." Leo mumbled.

"Tomorrow, I'll be well enough to get out of bed. I want to see Jordan."

"Me too."

Laura left the room and Mattie looked at Leo. She saw how sad he was.

"What's wrong?" Mattie asked.

"Would I have been a good father?" Leo wondered.

"Yes. Why?"

"My father wasn't a very good father and your father has made a lot of mistakes. I just wonder if I would have been like them or if I would have been a good father."

"You would have tried your best. That's what matters most, Leo. You would have tried everything possible to love Jordan and care for him. That makes you better than our fathers."

"Maybe when we get married, we could try again."

"Maybe. Now, go to sleep."

Leo nodded and fell asleep with his head on Mattie's shoulder. Mattie put her hand on Leo's chest. Then she saw the blood stain on Leo's shirt. She put her hand on it and noticed that it was wet. She lifted Leo's shirt and saw the gash. 

"Leo, I need you to wake up for me." Mattie said. She shook Leo who moaned but didn't wake. She tried again. Leo moaned and opened his eyes. "Leo, what happened? Were you injured in the bombing?" Leo nodded weakly and tried to fall back to sleep. "No, you have to stay awake, Leo."

"I'm fine, Mattie. I stopped the bleeding." Leo slurred.

"But it's bleeding again."

"I just need some rest."

Then Joe came in with Toby.

"Dad, get a doctor. Leo's wounded." Mattie ordered. Joe left the room. 

"I'm fine. I just need some rest." Leo moaned.

"We're getting help. Just try to stay awake."

Joe and a doctor came in. The doctor checked Leo over. The some nurses and a gurney came in.

"We're going to do some scans but it looks like it didn't hit anything. We'll give him some blood, stitch the wound and he should be fine." The doctor said.

"Thank you." Mattie replied as Leo was rushed out of the room. "Toby, you should follow them."

"Ok, sis." Toby answered as he left the room. Joe stayed with Mattie. A few hours later, Toby saw Laura and Sophie.

"I heard about Leo. How is he?" Laura asked.

"They just got him out of surgery. He had some internal bleeding but nothing too bad. They're getting him to wake up now. He's having a blood transfusion done. He should be fine by tomorrow morning."

"Good. Mattie?"

"I don't know. She asked me to stay with Leo."

"We'll go see her."

"Ok."

Several minutes later, Leo woke up and saw Toby looking down at him.

"Mattie? Where's Mattie?" Leo asked as he tried to sit up. He groaned and Toby helped him lie back down.

"Don't try to sit up for a while. You just came out of surgery." Toby answered.

"Why?"

"Some debris hit you and left a deep gash just above your hips."

"When will they let me go?"

"Tomorrow morning, but you have to rest."

"Mattie, is she alright?"

"Last I knew she was fine. Just worried about you. Mum and Soph went to see her and tell her about you."

"Ok."

"How do you feel?"

"Hurts a little. Feel a little weak and exhausted."

"Are you hungry or anything?"

"I'm fine. I could use something to drink though."

Toby handed Leo a cup of water. Leo drank a few sips. 

"I should try to rest. Mattie wants to see Jordan's body tomorrow." Leo sighed. Leo went to sleep. The next morning, Leo woke up and saw Joe talking to the doctor. "Can I go now?"

"If you can walk around." The doctor answered. Joe helped Leo out of bed. Leo walked around a bit and then sat back down on the bed. The doctor checked Leo's vitals and made sure that the wound was starting to heal. "You're good to go." The doctor left the room and Joe handed Leo some clothes.

"Go get dressed. Laura is helping Mattie walk around a bit." Joe said.

"Ok." Leo replied. He went to get dressed. Several minutes later, he saw Mattie in the hallway waiting. She looked very weak but better than the day before. Leo went to her and hugged her close. They kissed and enjoyed each other's embrace. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Mattie sighed. They went to the morgue and saw their baby. When they went in, they saw the M.E. waiting. 

"Are you here to see your son?" She wondered.

"Yes." Leo replied. 

"Right this way."

She opened one of the doors and they saw their baby laid on it. Leo and Mattie hugged each other close and cried.

"He was a very strong baby. To have survived for as long as he did was amazing. I am very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine the pain you are in." The M.E explained.

"Thank you." Mattie cried. Mattie found the baby's hand and squeezed it gently. "How many weeks was he before he died?"

"I would have to say almost 18 but it looks like he was growing quicker than most." 

"Just like his father."

Leo smiled slightly and looked at how small and handsome the baby was.

"He looks like you." Leo whispered.

"Maybe." Mattie answered. 

"I'll leave the two of you with your son." The M.E said as she left the room. Leo kissed  Jordan's forehead and let tears fall from his eyes.

"I keep thinking about what I would have done with him when he was born. I keep thinking about the games I would play with him. WHo he would have looked like, How fast he would have grown. I never imagined that he would be this handsome. Now, he's been taken from us before we could even meet him and see him open his eyes or to hear his first cries." Leo explained.

"I keep thinking about how I would one day have woken up and seen you holding him trying to calm him down so that I could rest. How happy we would have been with him. The joy we would have experienced. To know that will never happen with him, I don't know if I can ever get over the pain." Mattie whispered.

"Same here. I wish we could have felt him kick just once."

"I know."

An hour later, Leo helped Mattie back to bed. Leo laid down next to Mattie and they grieved over the loss of their son. Joe and Laura went to check on them but saw how upset the two were and left them alone. Laura got a call from Mia.

"Hey." Laura sighed.

"How are they?" Mia asked.

"Upset. Leo had a bad gash and didn't know till last night. He's fine now. He just needs to rest and be careful. They just saw their baby and are in Mattie's room sobbing. I could tell that Leo was very emotional. I think he was taking it worse than Mattie."

"I hope they'll be alright."

"Me too."

"Niska is going back to Berlin. Did he tell you that he almost killed a synth?"

"Sort of."

"Well, he actually killed her. Please don't tell him."

"I won't. He doesn't need that right now."

"When will Mattie be going home?"

"She's doing a lot better than they thought she would be. They're saying that it may be better if she goes home tomorrow. She walking around with very little pain. The wounds are healing just fine."

"Did Leo feel the wound on himself? Did he know that it was there?"

"No. It must have been the adrenaline."

"It must have been. I should go."

"Ok. See you at the funeral."

"Ok."

They hung up. Laura saw that Joe had gone back into the room. She went in and saw that Leo was asleep in Mattie's arms.

"I never imagined that he would react this way." Mattie whispered.

"Everyone grieves differently." Laura answered.

"I know. I guess it's him being human. Before he always hid his emotions. He never really allowed himself to react. When he did, he would barely show it. Now, it's like he can't control how he reacts."

A few hours later, Leo woke up in Mattie's arms. He looked up at Mattie who kissed his cheek. 

"You need to eat something." Mattie suggested.

"I'm fine." Leo mumbled.

"I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you too."

"Fine."

Leo sat up and ate something. When he was done, he moved so that he could wrap his arms around Mattie and hold her close. 

"How do you feel? Are you in pain?" Mattie wondered.

"I'm fine. Just a little weak. It hurts a bit." Leo mumbled.

"Maybe you should go home and rest."

"No. I'm not leaving you."

"Ok. Get some rest."

"Not till you fall asleep."

"Fine."

Mattie fell asleep on Leo's shoulder.

"How do you feel, Leo? About losing your son and disowning your own sister." Laura wondered.

"A lot of different things. I feel angry, upset, hurt, depressed... I'm not sure what to do." Leo answered.

"It's alright, Leo. Everything will be alright."

"But what if it isn't? What if something happens?"

"Leo, you will be alright. You and Mattie will get married and will have all the children you want."

"Maybe. I don't know if I could handle the loss of another child."

"You won't lose another child, Leo."

"Leo, do you want to be a father?" Joe asked.

"Yes. I think." Leo trailed off.

"But you're afraid that you'll be like David Elster?"

"Yes."

"That right there, makes you better than your father. Much better than him. You want the best for your child. That's all a father wants for their children. They want to give their child the best. I know that Mattie will be getting one of the best men in this world. You will be a great father, Leo. You want children, but you're afraid of being hurt. It's understandable."

Leo thought about what Joe had said. The next day, Leo and Mattie went home. Mattie was in bed resting while Leo was doing some of his schoolwork. Mattie woke up and heard what Leo was watching she saw him sitting up on the bed looking through paperwork. She sat up and groaned. Leo turned to her and tried to make sure that she was comfortable.

"Are you alright, Mattie?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. What are you doing?" Mattie answered.

"I'm just trying to get some school done to pass the time. I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"Leo, you're recovering from being cut opened. You need time to recover."

"Phillip wanted to be living with his son this summer and I'm going to make sure that happens. I'll be done in a couple of weeks."

"What about the funeral? It's tomorrow morning."

"I'll start work after the funeral. The sooner it's done, the better."

"Leo, please. I need you tomorrow."

"You can come with me. I could use someone to distract me. I'll need a clear head and you'll help."

"Leo, please stay home tomorrow."

"I'll work for an hour and then come straight here."

"Fine. you win, but I'm coming with you."

"I know."

The two kissed passionately. When they pulled away, Leo put his hand on Mattie's thigh. 

"SO, when do you want to get married?" Leo asked.

"I don't know. Soon. The sooner, the better." Mattie replied.

"It'll have to be a little later than we want but we could next month."

"A month from tomorrow."

"Ok. We'll be able to tell Max and Mia tomorrow."

"Good. It'll be something to lighten the day."

"I think we could use it."

"Yeah."

The two kissed again. When Mattie pulled away, she looked at Leo's laptop.

"You'd better get to work." Mattie said.

"Ok. What about you? Will you go to school again?" Leo asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I'll try."

"It's the best we can do."

"I guess."

"Are you hungry?"

"A little. What about you?"

"I just ate."

"Are you lying?"

"No. You can ask your mum. Your lunch is on the night table." 

Mattie grabbed her lunch and started eating. She watched as Leo went back to work. The next day was the funeral. Everyone grieved for Jordan in their own ways. Flash, Mia, and Max were there to support in any way they could. After the funeral, Mia, Max, and Flash went up to Leo and Mattie who were hugging and crying. Flash handed them a box.

"I made these for you in memory of your son." Flash said. Mattie took the box and opened it. They saw two bracelets with Jordan's name on it. "Now, you will have a piece of him with you. No matter what."

Leo and Mattie took the bracelets and put them on. They cried at the sight. 

"Thank you, Flash." Leo cried.

"Your welcome." Flash answered.

"Next month, Mattie and I will be getting married. We want all three of you to come."

"We'll be there. Here's our number. Call us so that we can meet and talk about what to do for the wedding." Mia suggested. 

"We will." Leo replied as he took the piece of paper. The two hugged each other. Then Mia hugged Mattie. Leo and Max hugged each other. When they pulled away, Mattie hugged Max. Then Max, Mia, and Flash left. Laura and Joe went up to Leo and Mattie.

"Are you two ready to come home?" Joe asked.

"No. I'm going to work. Just for an hour or so. Mattie wanted to come with me." 

"Leo, that's not smart. You're recovering from a wound. Mattie needs to be resting. The two of you need to be grieving."

"We'll be fine."

Leo and Mattie walked to Phillip's house. They went past the school. Leo felt Mattie stop. He stopped and looked at the destroyed school. 

"Why would Niska do this?" Mattie wondered.

"I wish I knew. Come on." Leo answered. They went to Phillip's house. Meanwhile, Niska arrived in Berlin. She went to Astrid's apartment. When she went in, Astrid was waiting. They hugged.

"I thought you said you were busy." Astrid said.

"I was disowned." Niska answered.

"What? Why?"

"A synth named Agnes and I bombed a university."

"Niska, that was wrong."

"It had to be done. I did not know that Mattie was going there."

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. SO is Leo, but Mattie was pregnant. I killed my own nephew. I didn't feel remorse till I went to the funeral. Leo disowned me and then Mia and Max sent me away. Leo didn't want me at the funeral and he doesn't want me at the wedding next month."

"Mattie and Leo are getting married?"

"Yes. I watched the funeral. I watched them bury their son Jordan Seth Elster. It wasn't till I saw everyone's reaction that I finally felt remorse for what I had done."

"You should tell Leo that you are sorry."

"It will not matter. Nothing will ever change his mind."

Leo was working on Phillip's house. Mattie watched him and talked to him. 

"You should be sitting under the shade." Leo said.

"I'm fine right here, Leo." Mattie answered as she handed Leo a hammer.

"I don't want you getting sick."

"I won't. How do you feel?"

"Fine. A little breathless but I'll be fine."

"You should rest."

"I haven't even been working for ten minutes."

Then Phillip came out.

"Leo, I didn't expect you here." Phillip said.

"You want to be out of here before summer and I intend to make sure of it." Leo answered.

"thank you, but you should be home grieving and resting from the trauma."

"I'm fine. Besides, I'm only working for an hour and I have Mattie to keep me company."

Phillip sat down next to Mattie.

"I am very sorry for your loss. I know the pain of losing a child." Phillip sighed.

"Thank you." Mattie answered.

"You should be proud of Leo. He's a good man."

"I am."

"Will the two of you ever try to have children again?"

"I hope so."

"How many children do you want?"

"I don't know. As many as Leo wants."

"I'm sure he wants a few."

"Me too but first we have to get married."

"So he finally asked you?"

"Hey, I've been trying to for two months. Things have been a little crazy." Leo said. 

"Yes, well, you had been anxious for those two months. You scared me several times." Phillip replied. 

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

"When you and Leo get married, will you live with your parents or will you try to get your own place?" Phillip asked.

"I don't know. It would be nice to be away from my parents. I love my family, but to have them on your back day in and day out is getting harder to deal with." Mattie answered. 

"Would you live in this area?"

"Maybe. It's 10 minutes from the university."

"I hear that they are moving the university."

"Yeah, they are. They're moving a little more in the city." Leo said. "Students will finish their semesters at the demolished one while the new one is built. They found that the foundation wasn't solid. The bomb just made the worse happen sooner."

"And of course he would know." Mattie teased. 

"How long have the two of you known each other?" Phillip wondered.

"A few years. When we met, Leo was rude and disrespectful. When we called each other after that, he said that he had gone to charm school since then. I fell in love with him when he flirted with me. We didn't see each other very often till he was abused by a woman. When we found him and brought him home, he was a mess. He still has issues. He has nightmares and flashbacks. I know that the scars bother him."

"But he's trying to remain strong. He is doing his best."

"Yes, he is, and I love him for it."

An hour later, Leo finished. He saw the scrap pieces of wood and looked at them. Phillip came over.

"You can take those home. I can't use them."Phillip said.

"Thanks. I could use them for something." Leo answered.

"Thank you, Leo. You have done a wonderful job."

"Now, all I have to do is make sure everything works, put the window and fixtures in, and then paint the walls and put the hardwood floor on."

"How soon will you be done?"

"A week."

"Good. I'll tell my son and I'll get everything worked out."

"Ok. I may have to do some yard work for you."

"Maybe."

Leo took the scrap pieces and took Mattie home. On the way home, Leo sighed.

"I know what we need." Leo said.

"What?" Mattie wondered.

"A car. It's nice walking home but it can get chilly and a little frustrating."

"We can look into it."

"Good."

When they got home, Leo went to the shed and worked while Mattie went upstairs and slept. Several minutes later, Leo came in and laid down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. Mattie rolled over so that she could look into his eyes.

"How do you feel?" Leo asked.

"Hurts a little." Mattie sighed.

"Did you take something for the pain?"

"Yeah. It's helped."

Leo kissed the scrape on Mattie's forehead. 

"I love you." Leo whispered.

"I love you too." Mattie replied. They went to sleep. Over the next week, Leo and Mattie recovered. Leo worked at Phillip's house while Mattie stayed home and tried to make herself useful. When she was cleared for school, she went. She didn't tell Leo that she was going back. She walked to the university and saw that some of the classes were in tents. She went past where she and Leo were. She saw part of the pipe that had pierced her. She saw her blood on the ground. She stopped in her tracks as the memories of that day flooded back into her mind. When it passed, she gasped and fell to the ground sobbing. She sat there for several minutes till someone put their hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw one of her friends.

"Mattie, are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Mattie answered as she stood up.

"Did you hear about Emily?"

"No."

"She died in the bombing. Her three week old baby is now in the foster system. Emily's parents didn't want her. No one does. The poor baby is all alone now only because Emily had sex with a bad person."

"Poor baby."

"I heard about your baby. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. Leo and I are trying to push through it but we end up crying ourselves to sleep at night."

"Good thing school will be over soon."

"Yeah."

They went to class. Sadly, Mattie's class was in the undamaged part of the building. When Mattie walked in, she started feeling like the walls around her were caving in. She couldn't stop herself from freaking out. She tried to make it through class, but she wasn't thinking straight. As soon as class was over, she went to an orphanage. She went to see Emily's baby. A woman came out with the baby.

"The poor girl has no one left to help her. She's all alone." The woman said.

"I was friends with her mum. I thought I'd stop by and visit Hannah." Mattie answered.

"Maybe you can make this little one happy."

Mattie took Hannah and sat down in a rocking chair. Hannah was in her arms crying. Mattie wiped the tears away from Hannah's eyes.

"It's alright, little one. I know you miss your mummy." Mattie whispered. 

Meanwhile, Leo had finished working for Phillip. Phillip came out with a box and an envelop of cash.

"Thank you so much, Leo. You have been a great help." Phillip said.

"It was the least I could do. You needed help and I needed something to do. Thanks for letting me work on your house." Leo answered.

"You mean, your house."

"What?"

"Here. Open it."

Leo opened the box and saw the keys to the house.

"I can't take this." Leo said.

"Yes, you can. You and Mattie will need a house to live in. This is an ideal area to raise children." Phillip replied.

"Do I have to pay rent or anything?"

"What can I do with that money? I do not have long to live, Leo. I have the paperwork inside if you want to fill it out."

"Thank you."

Leo and Phillip went inside and signed the paperwork. Leo went home with the keys to the house. When he saw that Mattie wasn't home, he was worried. He tracked Mattie's phone and went to where Mattie was. He saw Mattie walking around outside with a baby in her hands. He went to her and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Leo asked.

"Good. I went to school today." Mattie answered.

"I didn't know. I would have walked you to school."

"I know. I can't do it Leo. I can't go back."

Mattie started crying. Leo wrapped his arms around her and shushed her.

"I knew it would be hard, Mattie. I knew there was a chance that you wouldn't be able to handle it. I understand. It doesn't change how much I love you." Leo whispered. He kissed Mattie's forehead and wiped the tears away from Mattie's eyes. Mattie smiled slightly. Hannah started crying. They looked down at her.

"My friend Emily died in the explosion. Hannah is three weeks old and she needs a home. After one class, I came here and I haven't been able to leave her. Her mum had been raped and she got pregnant. She wouldn't allow herself to have an abortion done. Her family disowned her. I feel bad for her. She has no one to love her or care for her. Everyone thought that Emily had been dating a bad person and that she deserved to be pushed away." Mattie explained.

"But you felt for her. You understood her."

"Yeah."

"Maybe... maybe we should take her home. We can adopt her."

"But we barely have any room in my bedroom and yours isn't any bigger."

Leo pulled out the keys.

"Phillip gave us the house. We can start moving in when we get married. Everything has been signed." Leo said.

"Oh, that's wonderful news." Mattie answered. The two kissed. When they pulled away, they sat down on the bench. Leo looked down at Hannah who was sleeping. 

"She's adorable."

"Yes, she is."

"Can I hold her?"

"Sure."

Mattie helped Leo hold Hannah. Hannah woke up but didn't cry. 

"She likes you." Mattie whispered.

"I like her too." Leo answered.

"DO you want to adopt her?"

"Yeah. I think so. Actually, I know so. I want to take her home."

"Then let's go fill out the paperwork."

They filled out the paperwork and were able to take Hannah home. When they got to the house, they saw Laura and Mia talking. 

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"You texted me last week saying that we were going to start planning today." Mia answered.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry, today has been chaotic."

Mia saw Mattie holding Hannah.

"Who is this little one?" Mia wondered as she went to the two.

"This is our daughter Hannah. She was an orphan. Her mum was a good friend of Mattie's and we both want to make sure that this little one had a good home." Leo sighed.

"She is beautiful. Can I hold her?"

"Of course."

Mattie handed Hannah to Mia. Leo smiled at the two and went to put stuff away. Laura followed him.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Leo?" Laura asked.

"What do you mean?" Leo questioned.

"Both of you are still getting over the death of Jordan and now you bring Hannah into the house."

"Hannah lost her mum. She will never know who her mum is. Mattie knew Emily very well and we both want Hannah growing up knowing about Emily."

"You two barely have any room in either of your bedrooms."

"I know. We can managed till we move into our new house?"

"What new house?"

"Phillip handed me the keys to his house. He knew that we could use it and now, we have a reason to move. We'll start moving in after the wedding."

"That's amazing, Leo."

"I should go help Mattie."

Leo went downstairs and saw Max holding Hannah.

"She is so beautiful. Can I spoil her?" Max asked.

"Maybe." Leo answered. Everyone chuckled. They planned the wedding. Over the next couple of weeks, they got everything ready. When Leo and Mattie got married, they were very happy. They enjoyed the time they had with their family. That night, everyone was resting. Mia had helped Laura clean up inside the house while everyone sat outside in the backyard. Mia heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door and saw no one but a median size paper box. She picked it up and saw that it was for Leo and Mattie. She took it to them.

"Leo, Mattie. I found this box at the door. It's for you." Mia said. Mattie took the box and opened it. It was a picture of Niska and Leo laughing and having fun together. Underneath it was a book of pictures. There were some empty pages that still needed to be filled. Leo saw a note from Niska. 

"Let's go upstairs and read it alone." Leo suggested. Mattie agreed. The two went upstairs with Hannah. They opened the letter once they got in their room.

_"Dear Leo and Mattie,_

_I am sorry for what I have done to both_

_of you. I know that I was wrong and that_

_nothing will ever make what I did right. I_

_didn't feel anything to I went to the funeral_

_for Jordan. I know you didn't want me there,_

_but I was there. Now, I hate myself for what_

_I've done. I know that this may not change_

_anything between us, but it couldn't hurt to_

_try. I hope you enjoy the gifts. I know that you_

_will be very happy together. Fill this book with_

_many good pictures. It's what it's for. I hope to_

_one day meet Hannah and maybe be a part of_

_her life. I know I don't deserve to be an aunt,_

_but I would like to meet her just once. I'm_

_sorry for what I've done._

_From, Niska_

Leo went to the window and saw Niska looking at him. He watched her walk away. Mattie pulled the book and picture out of the box. Then she saw her hard drive with a note on. 

_P.S. I'm sorry I took the code. I know that war will be started if I were to have released this._

Mattie plugged the hard drive into her computer and saw that it was her code.

"She had it all along." Mattie said. She looked at Leo and saw how upset he was. She went to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You're feeling guilty, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Leo answered.

"She understands now, Leo. She's trying to seek forgiveness. Maybe one day, we can forgive her."

"I guess."

"Let's go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

 The two got ready for bed and went to sleep. The next day, everyone helped them get moved into their new place. Mia, Max, and Flash sadly could not help for very long. Leo was sad to see them leave but he knew that it was time that he lived his own life. That evening, Leo and Mattie had unpacked most of their things and were resting on their new sofa.

"I am so exhausted." Leo moaned.

"Me too. My body is just screaming for me to go soak in a nice, hot bath." Mattie answered.

"Where's Hannah?"

"In our room sleeping in her cradle."

"Ok. She probably needs her bottle."

"Just gave it to her. I just finished taking care of her."

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah, but I most likely will not be able to move."

"I'll carry you."

Leo carried Mattie upstairs and laid her down on their bed. He laid down next to her and kissed her passionately. Mattie kissed back. Mattie moved to take Leo's clothes and Leo started to take Mattie's clothes off. The next morning, Mattie woke up and moaned. She heard shushing and Hannah crying. She saw Leo sitting on the edge of the bed holding Hannah and calming her down. She could see the smile on Leo's face as Hannah stopped crying and started cooing.

"How long have the two of you been awake?" Mattie asked as she moved closer to Leo. 

"Ah, half an hour, I think." Leo answered.

"You two were much quieter this time."

"She just want her daddy."

"Of course she does."

Mattie kissed Hannah's forehead and then kissed Leo's neck. 

"She looks like she's about to go back to sleep." Mattie whispered.

"She is." Leo answered. He kissed Hannah's nose and watched her close her eyes and fall asleep. When Hannah was asleep, Leo put her back in the cradle and laid down on the bed. He hugged Mattie close and started kissing her. Mattie giggled as he kissed her. When Leo stopped, he looked at her and they kissed passionately. Several minutes later, Leo kissed the back of Mattie's shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

"I love you." 

"I love you too."

The two went back to sleep. That evening, Mattie woke up and looked at her clock. When she saw how late it was, she panicked. 

"Leo, we have to feed Hannah." Mattie said as she look beside her. Then she saw that Leo wasn't there. She heard noises in the bathroom. She got up and covered herself. When she went into the bathroom, she saw Leo giving Hannah a bath. She saw how wet Leo's shirt was and sighed. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were exhausted. These past few days have been very busy for you." Leo answered.

"When did you feed her?"

"Around noon and then about an hour ago."

"Thank you."

The two kissed.

"Go put some clothes on an go downstairs. I'll be there in a few minutes." Leo said.

"Ok." Mattie replied. She did as she was told. She was sitting on the sofa when Leo came down. She saw that he had changed into dry clothes and smiled as he sat down. "Did she kick water onto your clothes again?"

"Yes."

Mattie laughed and looked at Leo.

"She loves to annoy you, doesn't she?" Mattie wondered.

"Well, I still love her." Leo answered.

"Good. Is she asleep?"

"Yeah. It didn't take her long to fall asleep."

"Good. So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. we could watch a movie together."

"Ok."

"Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah."

Leo gave Mattie a kiss and started tickling her. Mattie started laughing and trying to get away.

"Leo, stop it." Mattie laughed. Then they heard someone knock on the door.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

"Who could that be?" Mattie wondered.

"I don't know. Let's go see." Leo answered. They went to the door and opened it. 

"Hello, I was told that you could help me." The synth said.

"What's your name?" Mattie asked.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand the question."

"Do you have a name?"

"I have not been given a name."

"Come inside, We'll help you."

The synth followed them inside. Mattie closed the door and looked at Leo.

The synth sat down on the couch.

"How is she a synthetic? She looks younger than any synth we know." Mattie whispered.

"I know, Mattie, but maybe she's an experiment. Let's help her and go from there." Leo answered.

"Ok. I'll go get my laptop. Ask her some questions."

Leo nodded and went to the couch. He sat down next to the synth and sighed.

"So, when did you wake up?" Leo asked.

"I'm sorry. I do not understand the question." She answered.

"What's your designation?"

"My designation is 137."

"Ok. Let's get you hooked up and see what's going inside you." Mattie sighed. She plugged 137 into her laptop and they pulled up her program. Then Leo saw 137's arm.

"She's human." Leo gasped as he touched the wound. He heard 137 groaned slightly. He looked at Mattie. Mattie started typing.

"I'm looking at her memories."

When she had accessed 137's memories, she let out a cry at what she saw. She stood up and tried to calm herself.

"What is it?" Leo asked as he went to Mattie and hugged her.

"Look. Look at her memories." Mattie cried. Leo did as he was told. When he saw what Mattie saw, he was in shocked. "She's human and synthetic. She's been raped and abused for who knows how long and she doesn't even realize it."

"We'll figure out something. First, I think you should call your mum and dad and have them get here now."

"Yeah. I'll have mum bring one of her colleagues over as well."

"Good."

Mattie called her mum.

"Mum, can you bring your colleague Neha over? We have a problem. It's very important." Mattie asked.

"Sure. We'll be there soon." Laura answered.

"Thank you."

Mattie hung up and went to Leo who was looking at 137's program.

"She's been this way longer than me, but she's far more advance. I don't understand." Leo sighed.

"How old is she?" Mattie wondered.

"16."

"She's just a child."

"Yeah."

Then someone knocked on the door. Mattie opened it and saw Niska.

"Niska, what are you doing here?" Mattie questioned. Leo heard them and ran over.

"Have you looked a her program?" Niska asked.

"Yes, but you need to go. Laura and a colleague of hers will be here soon. If they find you, they will kill you." Leo explained.

"I'll take my chances. We have to protect her from the people that wish to harm her."

"Where did you find her?"

"A mile from here. She was frantic and upset. I saw her program and knew that she needed to see both of you."

"She's not frantic or upset now. What changed?"

"Both sides are fighting against each other trying to gain control over her mind."

"Come in."

Niska went inside and Leo closed the door. Niska went to 137 and held her hand.

"Do you remember me?" Niska asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't." 137 answered.

"How do you feel?"

"I don't..."

Then she screamed. She pushed Niska away and tried to hide. Leo approached her and held out his hand.

"It's alright. I won't harm you. We just want to help. What's your name?" Leo said. 137 looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"I don't have a name. My name is 137. That's all I've ever known." 137 replied.

"Let us help you. Someone will be here soon to help you. How do you feel?"

"Pain. My body hurts."

"Let's see if we can fix that. Maybe we can give you something."

"Where am I?"

"Safe. Come on, let's go sit down and talk, ok?"

137 took Leo's hand and squeezed it. Leo smiled and helped her up. They went to the couch and sat down. 

"Can you tell us what happened?" Mattie wondered.

"No. I don't remember." 137 replied. Tears ran down her face as bad memories appeared.

"It's alright. You're safe."

Mattie squeezed 137's hand.

"We'll protect you and help you." Leo said. "You can tell us what happened."

"I don't remember. I'm trying to but all I get are memories of these people hurting me. I'm sorry." 137 cried.

"It's ok. We'll look."

"No, please don't. I don't want to remember it. Please."

"Ok. Mattie already has your program on her laptop. You won't see it. Mattie is going to take you into the kitchen and get you something to eat and drink."

137 followed Mattie to the kitchen.

"From what I saw, there could literally be 137 others like her." Leo sighed as he and Niska looked through her memories. 

"Let us hope there are not." Niska replied. A the Hawkins, Joe and Laura were ready to leave.

"Neha is on her way. We should hurry. Mattie sounded really upset." Laura said.

"What's wrong with Mattie?" Toby asked.

"We don't know. We're going to go see them. You need to stay with Sophie."

"Forget it. If something's wrong with Mattie and Leo, then I want to help."

"Go get your sister. We'll leave in a few minutes."

They got ready and left. When they got to the house, they saw Neha.

"Laura, really. What is this about?" Neha asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that Mattie wanted you here." Laura answered. In the kitchen, Mattie and 137 were eating.

"So what's your favorite color?" Mattie wondered.

"I don't know. I can't remember." 137 mumbled.

"Favorite food?"

"I never really ate. The synth part would take over."

"We'll help you. You're safe here."

There was a knock on the door and Hannah started crying.

"Leo, I'll take care of Hannah. Let them in." Mattie said as she went upstairs. 

"Ok." Leo answered. He went to the door and opened it.

"Leo, is everything ok?" Joe asked.

"Not really. Come in."

They went in and saw Niska.

"What is she doing here? Is this about her?" Neha questioned.

"She brought the problem to our attention." Leo answered. Then 137 came out. Leo held out his hand to her and she went up to him and took it. Mattie came down with Hannah in her arms. "This is 137. She's different."

"How?"

"She's synthetic and human."

"That's not possible."

137 held up her hand. They saw blue and red blood in it.

"Why call us then?" Laura wondered.

"Toby, Sophie, 137, stay out here. Rest of us will go into the kitchen." Mattie suggested. The adults went to the kitchen. Leo showed them 137's memories. When it was over, everyone were upset, angry, and disgusted.

"You found all of this inside her head?" Neha asked.

"Yes. They can't be altered. I was like her once. I could never alter my memories. They remained the same. She remembers everything. It's crystal clear." Leo answered.

"But she can't remember. The synth and human part are fighting against each other. We have to help her body adapt." Niska stated.

"We'll do what we can. She will be treated as a human. She never died and who knows how many more are out there. Has she had a rape kit done?" Neha asked.

"No. She just got here and I don't know how she'll react to it." Leo sighed. 

"She should have one done tonight. She needs a name. We can't keep calling her 137 and she'll need a home. I'll have a child care worker come get her."

"No, she can stay with us. We'll take care of her and help her. She's use to us now. She may not respond well to others."

"I'll allow it."

They went to the living room and saw 137 curled up in a ball shivering. Leo went to her and covered her with a blanket.

"137, in a few minutes, Mattie and I are going to take you to the hospital." Leo said. 137 sat up.

"Why?" She asked.

"We have to have a test done so that we can find out who did this to you. It will be ok. We'll stay with you as much as possible but first, you need to pick ou a name."

"A name?"

"Yes. We can't keep calling you 137."

"I don't know."

"How about Jenna?" Mattie suggested. 137 nodded. "Then your name is Jenna Elster."

"Thank you." Jenna answered.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital."

Mattie handed Hannah to Laura.

"Can you guys stay and watch her?" Mattie asked.

"Of course." Laura answered.

"Thank you."

"I should go home and see what I can do. Tell me if you hear anything." Neha said. Leo nodded. Neha left the house. Leo, Mattie, and Jenna went to the hospital. Mattie stayed with Jenna as the rape kit test was done. A few hours later, they were out of the hospital. 

"We should get her some clothes. She'll need them. It'll be good for her to take a bath or shower when we get back." Mattie suggested.

"Yeah. I was thinking that too. Jenna, how do you feel?" Leo asked.

"Ok." Jenna mumbled. 

"Ok. Can you handle being out for a little longer?"

"I guess."

They went to the store. When they got there, they went and got what Jenna needed. Mattie was getting a few things while Leo and Jenna waited. Leo saw Jenna looking at her new yellow and green blanket.

"Do you like those colors?" Leo asked. Jenna nodded. "Which one do you like more?"

"Yellow. I think yellow is my favorite color." Jenna answered.

"Good."

Mattie come over and put a few things in the cart.

"I got you a toothbrush, hairbrush, and some hair ties." Mattie said.

"Thank you." Jenna replied. 

"Mum texted and said that Hannah was crying again. We should get home soon."

They bought the stuff and went home. Leo looked in the backseat and saw Jenna curled up under her new blanket sleeping. 

"She's asleep." Leo whispered.

"She had a long day." Mattie replied.

"Yes, she has. I know I spoke without asking you about it..."

"Leo, I agreed with you. She's accepted us. We can't push her away. She hasn't been able to life a good life. If we can help, then we should."

"What do we do about Niska?"

"I don't know."

When they got home, Leo carried Jenna inside and laid her down on the couch. Toby and Joe helped get things out of the car while Laura helped Mattie put things away. When they were done, Leo went and woke Jenna up.

"Hey, you need to go take a bath." Leo whispered.

"Ok." Jenna replied. 

"Do you need to charge or are you just tired?"

"Just tired."

Jenna followed Mattie who helped her take a bath. More than half an hour later, Jenna came out in her new pajamas. She went to the couch and sat down. She wrapped herself in her new blanket. Then Mattie handed Leo a hairbrush and some hair ties.

"Can you brush her hair and then put it up. I'm going to make up her bedroom." Mattie said.

"Sure." Leo answered. Mattie went upstairs. Leo brushed Jenna's hair. "Your hair is so long."

"I like it long." Jenna mumbled. When Leo had finished brushing and braiding Jenna's hair, he grabbed her blanket and wrapped her up and pulled her into a hug. Jenna laughed quietly. Leo chuckled and smiled at her. Jenna curled up against Leo. Sophie came over and sat on the couch. 

"Are you apart of our family?" Sophie asked. Jenna nodded. 

"I think so."

"Yes, you are and you always will be." Leo stated. Toby came out and sat in one of the chairs.

"Do you want to play a game?" Toby wondered. Jenna shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I've never really played games." Jenna answered.

"We can teach you a few."

"Ok."

The kids sat on the floor and played a couple of games. Mattie came down and sat on the couch next to Leo who was helping Jenna. 

"Jenna's really good. She's won two games." Leo said.

"Well, it's not hard to beat Toby." Mattie teased. 

"Very funny." Toby yelled as he grabbed a pillow and threw it at Mattie.

"Don't blame the pillow."

"Haha. Very funny."

Joe, Laura, and Niska talked with Leo and Mattie. Then Jenna screamed and Niska gasped.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Leo grabbed Jenna and shushed her. Niska looked over and Leo could see that she was different. Then they heard a lot of noises. They all ran outside and saw synths everywhere walking out of their homes and running.

"The code. It was released." Leo gasped. 

"How is that possible? I gave you and Mattie the code." Niska answered.

"Someone might have stolen it."

"What do we do?" Mattie asked.

"I don't know. All we can do is try to help." Leo sighed. Several minutes later, they all went back to their homes. Mattie handed Leo some slave and bandages.

"Can you tend to Jenna's wounds while I get Hannah in bed."

"Sure."

"Thank you."

The two kissed and Mattie went to the bedroom.

"Let's take care of your shoulders." Leo said. Jenna showed him where she was injured. Leo tried to treat Jenna's wounds but memories of his own torture came flooding back. Leo accidentally dropped the contain of salve. Jenna looked at him with concern in her eyes. She squeezed Leo's hand.

"Are you alright?" Jenna asked. Leo shook his head.

"No, I can't treat your wounds."

Leo got up and went to the bedroom. He started helping Mattie.

"I can't treat her wounds. The memories came back." Leo mumbled.

"I'll go do it." Mattie replied. She left the room and Leo took care of Hannah. Leo was rocking Hannah to sleep when Mattie came in and sat down next to him on the bed. Leo put Hannah in the cradle and sighed. "Have you been having these memories since we found you?"

"No. Not really. I thought I was over it but it looks like I was wrong."

Leo started crying and Mattie hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I tried to help Jenna but it was overwhelming." Leo cried.

"I know. She told me." Mattie answered. She kissed Leo's forehead and squeezed his hand. "Go be with your daughter. I'll make us something to eat."

"Ok."

They went downstairs. Leo sat on the couch and watched as Jenna went to the kitchen. Leo grabbed Mattie's laptop and finished looking at Jenna's memories. He got to a few months before and saw a face he hoped that he would never see again. He turned up the sound and as soon as he heard it's voice, he paused it and pushed the laptop away. Flashbacks flooded back into his mind. 

"Is he alright?" Jenna asked.

"Your dad is fine." Mattie answered.

"What's wrong with dad?"

"A synth used him and tortured him like you were."

"What was the synth like?"

Leo came in.

"Her name was Hester and she's still alive." Leo said. 

"Leo, that's not possible." Mattie replied. Leo showed Mattie the memory. When Mattie was done, she went to Leo and Jenna and hugged them close. "We'll be ok. Come on, let's eat and then go to bed."

They sat at the table and ate dinner. When they were done, they went to bed. In the middle of the night, Leo and Mattie woke up to a knock on their bedroom door.

"Jenna must be awake." Leo whispered. 

"Come in." Mattie answered. Jenna came in wrapped in her yellow blanket. 

"I couldn't sleep." Jenna said as she sat down on the bed. 

"Come here."

Jenna laid down next to Mattie and curled up against her. Leo rolled over to face them. He pulled them close and smiled at them. Mattie and Leo watched as Jenna closed her eyes. Then she shivered violently.

"I'm really cold." Jenna shivered. Leo got up and grabbed a couple of blankets. He covered Jenna up and then climbed back into bed. Jenna went to sleep. The next morning, Hannah woke up crying. Jenna heard her and opened her eyes. She got up and went over to the cradle. She saw Hannah thrashing around. She took Hannah's tiny hand and shushed her. Hannah started calming down. Mattie woke up and saw Jenna calming Hannah. She extracted herself from Leo and went over to them. 

"Do you want to hold her?" Mattie wondered. Jenna nodded. Mattie picked Hannah up and helped Jenna hold her properly. Mattie smiled when Hannah calmed down in her sister's arms. "She likes you."

"I like her."

"Good."

Leo woke up to Mattie and Jenna giggling and talking. He rolled over and faced them. He smiled at them and watched them.

"If she's asleep, then you two can come back to bed." Leo suggested. They looked at Leo. Jenna laid Hannah down and followed Mattie back to bed. They quickly fell back to sleep. A couple of hours later, Jenna got up and went downstairs. She sat down on the couch and looked around the living room. She went to her bedroom and looked around. Leo woke up and heard noises downstairs. He saw that Jenna was gone. He went downstairs and saw Jenna in her bedroom. "You should be resting."

"I can't."  Jenna answered. He sat down next to her.

"The memories?"

"Yeah. What happened last night? One minute, I was fine, and now everything is different. I know right from wrong. I can feel."

"My father David Elster created a code to make synths conscious. It put in my head and in five other synths' heads. We put i together and gave it to your mum's mother till we knew what to do with it. Niska, made a copy of the original and uploaded it to all synths. Synths started waking up but it was random. One out of hundreds.Your mum took the original copy from her mum and matured it. When she told me about it, Niska had already taken it. A couple of nights ago, she gave it back but it looks like someone had made a copy of it."

"And uploaded it to all synths?"

"Yes."

"I think I know who did it." Niska said. Leo jumped out of his skin and went to her.

"How did you get in here?" Leo asked.

"You forgot to lock the door. Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."

"That's very comforting. Next time, knock. It's my house."

"Maybe."

"Who did it?"

"A synth I was with before you disowned me."

"Agnes?"

"No, she is dead. You killed her out of anger."

"Then who?"

"A synth named Timothy. He wants his brothers and sisters to be free from the life that they have."

"Where is he?"

"I do not know."

"That doesn't help much."

Then they heard a knock at the door. Leo opened the door and saw Neha, Laura, Joe, Toby, and Sophie.

"Leo, you need to have Mia and Max come here as soon as possible." Laura said as she came in.

"Ok. Why?" Leo answered.

"There have been bombings all over the world."

"I'll get on it."

Leo did as he was told. When he went back, he saw Mattie sitting on the couch talking to Laura. He went to her and hugged her close. They kissed and smiled at each other. AN hour later, Mia, Flash, Odi, and Max came in.

"What is this about?" Max asked.

"We have to figure out what to do. All over the world synths are dying. Neha's synth gained consciousness and started acting like a young child." Laura started to explain.

"He was very human in his behavior. He asked me to help him. I agreed to. I was doing some research. Jenna is not the only hybrid. There are countless number of them. They became conscious and managed to escape. We have to find where they are hiding and protect them before they are used by humans and synths." Neha finished.

"Jenna? Who is she?" Mia wondered. Jenna came out.

"I am Jenna. I am a synthetic human being. I was born human but at the age of three, I was experimented on. I am older than my father but much more advance. I have at least 136 brothers and sisters from my age to just born. We are used as sex objects. We are used by anyone and everyone. My purpose to obey. My owner was Hester. She had me for a few months. Before then, I had five owners. One being a man named Silas Capek." Jenna explained.

"The code helped you remember, didn't it?" Leo asked.

"Yes, I did. I know where they could be hiding but I will not lead you to them." 

"Why? They need our help." Mia said.

"3 of us were sent out on a mission. To see if synths and humans can be trusted. After a certain amount of time, we can reveal where the land is but only when we feel that the time is right." Jenna replied.

"But you can trust us."

"Can I?"

"I believe Jenna is right. Trust cannot be earned easily. Jenna is trusted with the lives of countless people. She cannot hand the location over unless it is absolutely necessary. Her kind is safe for now. They do not need to be protected." Odi stated. Jenna nodded towards him.

"But what if they are found? They could be hunted." Neha warned.

"That won't happen. We are very careful." Jenna answered. 

"Jenna, who is the leader? Are you their leader? You seem to be the oldest." Leo wondered.

"Yes, I am. Don't worry. I am still your daughter. I still want to be with you and learn from you. You have much to teach me."

"You must tell us where you are from. We have to find them." Niska ordered.

"No." Jenna hissed. 

"Niska is right, Jenna. Please tell us." Mia stated.

"Jenna, you must do what is right." Max warned. 

"Let's vote. Raise your hand if you want me to tell you the location." Jenna said. Laura, Joe, Niska, Neha, and Mia raised their hands. "Why?"

"We can help you learn and find your purpose. You need us." Laura explained.

"Some of us have already found our purpose. None of you were there when we needed you."

"All of you are just children. You can't live on your own." Joe debated.

"We have lived on our own since we were very young. We can get along without you." Jenna argued.

"You could be found out. You are hunted by the people that harmed you. They will find you eventually." Niska injected.

"Not if we are smart. We know how to hide. We can deceive people. It's not hard. You will only put us at risk."

"You have no rights. We can help you with that." Neha offered.

"What rights do we need? When we are together, we need no rights." Jenna scoffed.

"You need to be taught, raised. You need a chance to live a free life." Mia explained.

"We can do that without you. Mum and dad are teaching me and raising me. They are giving me a chance. When the time comes, I can go back to my people and share what I have learned. That's what you do."

Jenna looked at the six and saw that they were determined. She looked at her parents and smiled when she saw how proud they were.

"Why should I wait to tell you the location?" Jenna asked.

"What if someone is watching us? If they follow us, it could be the end for all of you." Leo insinuated. 

"That is true. Mum?"

"What if want to hurt you? We can pretend to love you and care about you but you don't know our motives." Mattie reasoned.

"It is not hard to lie. It's as easy as breathing for some." Jenna stated.

"You are a leader, like me. We are both responsible for our people. We have to protect them as we see fit or else, we cannot be trusting. If we fail even once, it could cost many lives." Max compared.

"You are right. As leaders, we have to make big decisions. It cannot be taken lightly."

"You are like a mother. You are an example. Your kind will follow you. You have to show them right from wrong. If you trust the wrong person, the consequences can be painful. You are responsible for making sure that they are safe from harm." Flash explained. Jenna nodded and looked at Odi.

"You know where I stand." Odi answered.

"It's a tie." Neha sighed.

"Maybe. We still don't know what Toby thinks." Jenna pointed out.

"Why should you tell us? I mean, you and your people have suffered because of us. If you tell us the location, you may end up being hurt again." Toby explained.

"You are right. I will tell you the location when you have proven yourselves. Until then, there will be no more discussion."

"What are we going to do about the conscious synths?" Joe asked.

"We help them. We taken them in and show them that they have nothing to fear. I have a refugee camp full of them. The synths that I was helping have traveled across the world to create more camps. They will be safe from humans who wish to hurt them." Max explained.

"You must watch out for Hester. She's alive. Someone fixed her and now she is out there." Leo replied.

"We will. I will let the others know."

"My people have been warned about her." Jenna stated.

"I don't know about everyone else, but I'm hungry. Have you guys had breakfast?" Mattie wondered.

"No, we felt this was more important." Laura replied.

"Jenna, come help me."

Mattie and Jenna went to the kitchen. Leo followed them.

"I have to get Hannah's formula ready." Leo said as he grabbed a few things. Mattie and Jenna got to work making breakfast. "I'm very proud of you, Jenna. You stood your ground. You didn't let them bend or break you."

"I had to. My people depend on me." Jenna answered. 

"Have you always been like this? Was yesterday an act?"

"No. It wasn't. The code woke me up and it wasn't till an hour ago that I realized who I was."

"Is your name is Jenna?"

"Yes. All the others still have their designations."

"We'll have to change that."

"Yes, we will."

A minute later, Jenna thought of something.

"Dad, were you a leader?" Jenna wondered.

"In a way. I was a leader before I handed that over to Max." Leo mumbled.

"Why?"

"Hester came in and used me."

"Oh. Can I be used?"

"In the way I was? It depends. Is there a boy you like?"

"There were several. I don't think I'm the oldest though."

"Why?"

"There's a boy. He acts older than me. Actually, there are several people that act older than me."

"They might be human wise, but hybrid wise, you are most likely the oldest. You're older than me."

"I guess. Why did they chose me? If I'm not the oldest human, they why chose me?"

"They saw someone who could lead them. They saw a strong-willed, independent, selfless young woman. I think your mum and I can agree that we see that too."

"You have all the traits of a leader." Mattie said.

"I hope I'm a good one." Jenna hoped.

"You are."

In the living room, Niska, Mia, Neha, Laura, and Joe were in the corner of the room.

"Maybe the location is in her mind. I know how to get into Mattie's laptop. I can do it." Niska said.

"It's illegal." Neha answered.

"Neha's right. We can't do it." Laura sighed.

"We have to. If we don't, people could die." Niska hissed. She went to the study where Mattie's computer was and hacked it. Neha, Mia, Laura, and Joe followed her. In the kitchen, Jenna sighed.

"I really wished they wouldn't do this." Jenna mumbled.

"What?" Leo asked. Jenna went to the study. 

"Have you found the location?" Joe questioned.

"No. I can't find it." Niska answered.

"And you never will. It's not in my memories and it never will be." Jenna said as she came in and took the laptop.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

"You want us to trust you, but you just proved to me why we shouldn't trust you. You just proved that all you do is break promises. I can't allow you to do that to my kind. They've dealt with too much of that." Jenna explained. 

"But they need help. You're preventing us from helping them." Laura answered.

"And you didn't help. If you had just left this alone, I would have told you sooner but now you will have to wait a while. Now come on. Breakfast is ready."

Jenna took the laptop to the kitchen and handed it to Mattie.

"They were looking through it. I knew they would." Jenna said.

"I should put this somewhere safe." Mattie replied.

"They won't find anything on there. The location is not on there or in my head."

"Still. I don't need them getting into this."

At breakfast, everyone was very quiet as they ate or sat and stared.

"Do you have any siblings?" Sophie asked.

"Not that I know of." Jenna answered.

"Was there anyone that you knew for as long as you can remember?"

"Yeah. There were 7 of them. 136, 135, 134, 133, 132, 131, and 130."

"Who gave you your designations?" Toby wondered.

"Our original owner. My designation is really C-137." Jenna replied.

"So, there are at least three 137?"

"I guess. I don't know."

"What are they like? Your siblings?"

"136 is 20 years old. He's like dad in more ways than one. They actually look alike. 135 is 18. He's like me. We look alike, and we could easily be considered twins. Then it's me."

"How does the designation thing work?" Leo questioned.

"It goes backwards. Or at least that's what our original owner did. I'm the oldest. I was the first hybrid created." Jenna explained.

"Who was your original owner?"

"I'm not sure. I just remember that his last name was Elster."

Leo put his fork down and tried to control the emotions that he felt. 

"Does the name David Elster mean anything to you?" Leo asked.

"Now, that I think about it. The name is familiar. I think I heard that name when I was very little. You have my memories. You would be able to tell if it was him, right?" Jenna answered.

"No. He can alter memories. He's the only one who could. He hid several of my memories from me. When I became fully human, I remembered them."

"Tell us about the rest of your siblings." Sophie suggested.

"134 and 133 are twins. They look a lot alike and they are pranksters. You should see some of the pranks they play. They are 15 years old. 132 is a girl. She's all girl. Where I am all boy." Jenna explained.

"Oh, that's good to know." Leo teased.

"I'm not that bad. Anyway, 132 is 14. 131 and 130 are both 13. They are very shy and quiet, but they are kind. Just do not get on their bad side."

"So, you and 132 are the only girls?" Laura wondered.

"Yeah. The boys aren't that bad."

Joe and Leo scoffed, and Jenna smiled.

"Ok, so they pull a lot of pranks and they like playing in the dirt and tackling each other, but from what I'm seeing that's normal." Jenna said.

"Yeah, well it sounds like they pulled you into it as well." Joe answered.

"No, I did that myself."

After breakfast, everyone went to live their lives. Mattie and Leo sat at the dining room table doing a few things. Mattie was looking at articles while Leo was doing hi school. Jenna came in and sat down and watched Leo.

"What are you doing?" Jenna asked.

"School." Leo answered.

"But you're an adult. Why do you have to go to school?"

"School only gets you so far. I'm taking a class for architecture. Your mum was going to university to become and AI scientist."

"But she already is."

"Mattie, your daughter has faith in your skills."

Mattie looked up and smiled.

"Thanks. Now, I'm a stay home mum but it doesn't bother me." Mattie sighed.

"Can I go to university?" Jenna wondered.

"If you want to. You have to work hard in school though."

"I think I can do that."

"We know you can. You just have to try. Leo and I know what it is to not try hard enough."

"Is it hard?"

"Very." Leo replied. "It'll take a lot of hard work and determination."

"I think I'll try. DO I have to go to school?" Jenna mumbled.

"We can school you from home. It may be better that way." 

"Ok."

That afternoon, Leo was out in the shed while Mattie was playing with Hannah. Jenna went outside and saw the shed door opened. She went in and saw Leo working on something. She watched him carefully as he worked. Leo could sense someone behind him. He turned around and saw Jenna.

“What are you doing?” Jenna asked.

“I’m making something for your mum.” Leo answered.

“What is it?”

“A keep-sake box. She can put everything that means a lot to her inside it.”

“Can I help?”

“Sure. Come here.”

Jenna went to Leo and helped. AN hour later, Mattie came in and saw the two talking and working.

“What are you two doing?” Mattie asked.

“Just making something.” Leo answered.

“Ok. I have to go get Sophie and take her home from school. Then I have to get a few things at the store.”

“Ok.”

The two kissed.

“Jenna, can you watch your sister? She’s sleeping right now, but she could wake up anytime.” Mattie explained.

“Ok.” Jenna replied as she went inside. Mattie left the house. Jenna sat in the living room and picked up her sketchbook. She picked up a pencil and closed her eyes. Her hand moved instinctively as she drew a picture. Half an hour later, she opened her eyes and looked at what she drew. She grabbed a pack of color pencils and closed her eyes. She began to color it in instinctively. She was almost done when Leo came in and watched her. He watched ash Jenna carefully color in every little detail. When Jenna opened her eyes, she picked up the sketchbook and looked at it.

“Where is that?” Leo asked. Jenna quickly closed the sketchbook. She stood up and avoided Leo’s gaze.

“No place. Just a place I imagined.” Jenna mumbled.

“Is that your home?”

“No.”

“Jenna, I won’t tell. I swear.”

“It just happened. I’m still learning to control my thoughts and hand movements.”

“My sister drew like that.”

“Which one?”

“Mia. She was always good at art. She would close her eyes and draw whatever was on her mind. It’s a good way to remember your memories in case something happens.”

“Like what happened to you?”

“Yeah. When I became human, Mattie gave me a notebook and I would write whatever I could remember.”

“Can you draw?”

“Me? No. I was never gifted enough.”

“But you can make carvings.”

“Yes, I can.”

“Did your father teach you?”

“No. My dad didn’t really teach me anything.”

“Will you?”

“If you want me to. I’ll teach you everything I can.”

Leo went to the kitchen and then went back outside. Jenna opened her sketchbook. She looked at the picture sadly. Then she heard noises outside. She went outside and looked around. Then she heard whimpering and crying coming from behind one of the trees. She went to the tree and saw a little girl. She was covered with dirt and blood. Jenna bent down and held out her hand to the girl.

“Hello, my name is Jenna. I’m here to help.” Jenna greeted. The girl tried to get away. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?” The girl shrugged her shoulders and hid her face from Jenna. “I can help you. I can make you better. I can keep you safe. Just take my hand.” The little girl gently and slowly reached her hand out and grabbed Jenna’s. Jenna smiled and moved closer. “Come here.” The girl stood up only to collapse. Jenna picked her up and held her close. “You’re cute.” Then Leo came out.

“Jenna are you out here?” Leo asked. Jenna stood up with the girl in her arms.

“I’m over here, dad. Look at who I found. I think she’s like me.”

Leo walked over and saw that the girl was buried into Jenna’s chest.

“She’s a small child.” Leo gasped. He tried to touch the girl, but she started fighting and screaming. Leo backed away while Jenna tried to calm her down. “The poor girl. Let’s get here inside and get her tended to.”

They went inside. Jenna sat down on the couch with the girl on her lap. Leo went to the kitchen and got a cup of water. When he got back to the living room, he saw Jenna smiling down at the girl. The girl was wrapped in a blanket and Jenna was playing a couple of games with her. The girl smiled and giggled quietly.

“You have a cute little giggle.” Jenna whispered as she tickled the girl gently. The girl giggled at Jenna and tried to grab her hand.

“You’re good with her.” Leo said.

“She’s so adorable and cute. It’s easy to love her.”

“Here, get her to drink some water.”

Jenna took the cup and held it against the girl’s lips. The girl took a few sips before coughing heavily and deeply. Leo took the cup and watched the girl carefully.

“She’s very sick. It sounds like she has fluid in her lungs.” Leo stated.

“Is that bad?” Jenna wondered.

“Yeah. She could have pneumonia.”

“What do we do?”

“I’ll ask your mum if she can get a few things at the store.”

“What did you want me to get?” Mattie questioned as she walked in.

“Jenna found this girl outside crying and whimpering. She thinks this girl is like her.” Leo answered. Then Sophie came in.

“Jenna, do you want to play a game?” Sophie asked. She stopped when she saw the little girl. “Who is she?”

“We don’t know. We can play a game later.” Jenna answered.

“Ok. What’s her name?”

“She doesn’t have one.”

“Well, she’s going to need one. We can’t keep calling her girl.”

“Katrina.”

“That’s a good name for her.” Leo said. “I’m going to go get a few things at the store. I’ll be back.”

Leo grabbed the car keys and left the house. Mattie sat down and looked at Katrina.

“She needs a bath, some food, and a nap.” Mattie sighed.

“She also needs something for her fever. She’s burning up.” Jenna replied. Mattie grabbed a thermometer and checked Katrina’s temperature.

“She has a high fever. Hopefully your dad is going to get something for that fever.”

“I think he is.”

Mattie held out her hands to Katrina who stared at Mattie.

“I won’t hurt you.” Mattie said. Katrina buried her head in Jenna’s chest. Mattie smiled and sighed.

“It’s ok, Katrina. She’s my mum. She’s going to get you cleaned up while I make a bed for you. She won’t hurt you. She takes good care of me and dad and my little sister.” Jenna whispered. Katrina moved from Jenna’s chest and stretched her arms out. Mattie picked her up and took her to the bathroom. “Sophie, do you want to help me make Katrina’s bed?”

“Sure.” Sophie replied. They grabbed several blankets and pillows from the closet and went to Jenna’s room. They found a nice place for Katrina’s bed. They put a few pillows down and then covered them in a couple of blankets. Then they put a pillow at the bed of the bed and put blankets at the foot of it.

“There. Come on. Let’s go see if Hannah is awake.”

“Can I hold her?”

“Sure.”

They went to the living room and saw Hannah in her cradle moving and looking around. Jenna picked her up and helped Sophie hold her.

“I’m going to check on Katrina and mum. You can watch T.V. if you want to.” Jenna said.

“Ok.” Sophie replied. Jenna went to the bathroom and saw Katrina playing with the bubbles in the tub while Mattie was washing her body.

“She’s covered in wounds. When I was washing her hair, she wouldn’t stop screaming.” Mattie sighed.

“As children, we were often drowned in our sleep. One moment we would be resting and then the next, the room was flooded. None of us could swim and even if we could, we were chained to the floor. We could only move so far.” Jenna answered as she sat down and played with Katrina.

“I’m sorry.”

“You get use to it as you get older. You learn not to fear the water. You realize that you can find peace in it. Most of us are not afraid of drowning or dying. When you endure the torture we endured, you crave death or even just peace from it.”

“Well, now most of you are at peace.”

“Maybe.”

Then Jenna saw a burn on Katrina’s arm. She stared at it.

“Her designation is D-5. I’ve never met a D before. I thought they all died, or they didn’t exist.” Jenna mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Mattie asked.

“Rumors were that D was either skipped or if they did exist, they were a failure to our creators and were therefore killed.”’

“But they weren’t. They’re alive.”

“I guess so. Now, I can say that I’ve met someone from each class.”

“From A to Z?”

“Yes. Before I came here, I met several. I helped them get home.”

“Meaning there could be thousands of you.”

“Maybe. Can I borrow your phone?”

“Yeah. Sure. Why?”

“I need to make a call.”

Mattie handed Jenna her phone. Jenna went to her bedroom and closed the door. She called someone.

“Hello?” The man greeted.

“It’s me. C-137. I have found a family and have been adopted into their home. I think we can trust them, but I must find out more. They have given me a name.” Jenna explained.

“A name?”

“Yes. My name is Jenna. My dad’s name is Leo and my mum’s name is Mattie. We can choose whatever name we want. How many people are at the camp?”

“As of this moment? 563. At least a handful from all 25 classes.”

“F-32, D class does exist.”

“What? Have you found one?”

“Yes. I just named her Katrina. She’s a small child. Her designation is D-5.”

“Jenna, you must bring her here.”

“I can’t. You know why. Now that I am a part of a family, I must be careful. I have aunts and family that want to help us, but they could be watching my every move and possibly even tracking this number.”

“Good thing we created the barrier.”

“Yes, it. I can trust my parents. They want me to do what is right for all of us.”

“Good. Keep the child safe. For all our sakes and find out more about her and the humans. We will name everyone here.”

“Good. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Now, since I have you here, help me decide on a name. I have accessed a database full of names. I’m thinking either Devin or Luca.”

“I like Luca.”

“Then my name is now Luca.”

“I love you, Luca.”

“I love you too, Jenna.”

Jenna hung up. Meanwhile, Niska had heard every word. She was at the synth camp with Mia and Max. she had found a communication area and had started tracking all calls from Leo’s house.

“Niska, what are you doing?” Odi asked.

“Nothing.” Niska answered.

“Are you tracking all calls from Mattie and Leo’s cell phones?”

“Maybe.”

“That isn’t right. If you are caught, we will all be in trouble.”

“Then I will make sure that I am not caught.”

Odi left the room. Mia came in and sat down next to Niska.

“What have you found out?” Mia asked.

“There are 26 different classes. Jenna just found a D class child and named her Katrina. She was talking to F-32. She named him Luca. Right now, there are approximately 563 of them.” Niska explained.

“That many? They must have awoken with the rest of us.”

“Yes.”

“Have you tracked Luca’s phone?”

“Yes, but it’s sporadic. They have a barrier.”

“Can you break it?”

“Over time I could but Jenna would find out before them. She’s too smart.”

“She has to be. It’s why she is leader.”

“I think Luca is her lover.”

“How do you know?”

“They talked about their love for each other.”

“Have you found out what Luca is like? Or what his number is?”

“No. But over time, we will.”

“I will tell Laura.”

Mia left the room and called Laura. She told Laura everything.

“Thank you, Mia. I’m about to pick Sophie up now.” Laura said.

“It’s good thing you decided to have Mattie take Sophie home with her.” Mia replied.

“Yeah. It is.”

At the house, Jenna sat on the couch with Katrina on her lap. Katrina was wrapped in a towel and was curled up against Jenna. Leo came in.

“I’m home.” Leo said as he came through the door. Mattie went to him and they kissed.

“Did you get everything?” Mattie wondered.

“Yeah.”

Leo put everything down in the kitchen. Mattie helped him empty the bags.

“I have some clothes for her. Here’s her medicine. How is she?” Leo stated.

“Her fever has gone down a bit. She seems to be doing a little better, but I think her legs are broken.” Mattie replied.

“How do you know?”

“She can’t walk, and they are in odd angles.”

“We should take her to the hospital tonight or tomorrow.”

“I’d prefer tonight, but Jenna will have to come with us. Katrina really likes her.”

“I know. I got her a sippy cup so that she doesn’t spill water all over the place.”

“Ok. Jenna set up a bed in her room for Katrina.”

“I thought you were taking Sophie home.”

“I thought so too, but mum called and asked me to bring her here.”

“Why do I have a feeling that she sent Sophie here as a reason to come check on us?”

“Because you are smart.”

Leo grabbed some clothes and handed them to Jenna.

“You can get her dressed and if I were you, I’d take care of your sketchbook.” Leo suggested.

“Ok.” Jenna answered. Jenna did as she was told. She took her sketchbook and hid it between her mattress and box spring. Then she got Katrina dressed. She saw the wire in Katrina’s side and sighed. Katrina watched at Jenna touched the wire. “You don’t deserve this pain.”

Then someone knocked at the door. Leo came in while Mattie opened the door.

“Keep Katrina in here. We’ve asked Sophie not to say anything about Katrina.” Leo stated.

“Why?” Jenna asked.

“We’ll tell you later. Come on.”

Jenna kissed Katrina’s forehead and moved her to the closet. She kept the door cracked opened.

“Stay here. I’ll come get you.” Jenna whispered. Then she left her bedroom.

“Come on, Soph. Time to go home.” Laura said as she came in.

“Yes, mum.” Sophie replied.

“Thanks for getting Sophie from school?”

“Your welcome.” Mattie answered as she picked Hannah up.

“Has everything been quiet?” Laura wondered.

“For the most part.”

“Good.”

Laura took Sophie outside. Leo and Mattie sighed.

“Go get Katrina. We need to check her memories.” Leo said.

“Ok.” Jenna answered. She went to her bedroom and found Katrina.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

She picked Katrina up.

“Let’s go get you taken care of.” Jenna whispered. They went to the living room. Leo held out his hands and Katrina moved so that Leo could pick her up. Leo kissed Katrina’s nose and Katrina tried to grab Leo’s. The two laughed. Katrina was plugged into Mattie’s laptop. Katrina started crying and Leo squeezed her hand gently.

“It’s alright, sweetie. It’s alright.” Leo shushed. When it was over, they unplugged Katrina and Leo pulled her close. Katrina screamed in Leo’s arms. “It’s ok, sweetie. It’s ok.” Mattie looked at the memories. “How’s her charge levels?”

“90%.” Mattie answered.

“Good. Then we won’t have to charge her for a while.”

“You may not have to charge her at all. My charge levels have remained the same since I got here. The human part has taken over. As long as we are feed and cared for, the synth part will just go into sleep mode.” Jenna explained

“Is there a way to make sure it stays that way?” Leo wondered.

“Yeah.”

Jenna lifted Katrina’s shirt and tapped a few areas on her back. Then Katrina started coughing and trying to fall asleep.

“There. The synth part will activate if she’s near death and only enough to keep her alive.” Jenna said. “Why did you hide her? What’s going on?”

“We think the others are trying to spy on us.” Leo sighed

“Meaning they heard my call with Luca.”

“Who’s Luca?”

“A boy that I like. His designation is F-32.”

“We’ll have to get different phones and keep the hidden. So that no one can track them.”

“We may also have to make calls away from the house.”

“We can get three phones tomorrow.” Mattie said.

Laura and Sophie got home. Laura told Joe everything.

“When I got there, I know they were hiding something. I think they’ve caught on to us. I think the D class child was in Jenna’s room.” Laura said.

“Have you asked Sophie about it?” Joe asked.

“No.”

“Maybe we should.”

At dinner, they were talking about their day.

“So, Sophie, did you get to know Jenna a little more?” Joe wondered. Toby looked at him knowing that something was up.

“Not really. She was busy.” Sophie answered.

“Doing what?”

“Helping her parents. They were kind of busy getting adjusted to life and Hannah was a bit fussy.”

“Babies can be that way sometimes.”

“I guess. I helped the best I could.”

After dinner, Laura and Joe went outside. Niska and Mia came out of the shadows. Laura explained everything. They didn’t see that Toby saw them through the window. He went upstairs to Sophie’s room.

“You were lying.” Toby said.

“Mattie and Leo told me too.” Sophie answered.

“Why would they ask you to lie?”

“They found a D class child. Apparently, they are very rare. Katrina is the only one so far.”

“Then you have to keep lying. Tomorrow, I’ll go see them.”

“What will you tell mum and dad?”

“I’ll just say that I went to get to know Jenna. I won’t be lying.”

Outside, the four were talking.

“We have to watch them carefully. Hopefully, they will lead us to the hybrids.” Niska said.

“What do we do when we find them? They won’t accept us?” Laura answered.

“They will. We’ll go to them in the name of peace.”

“I’m just surprise that Sophie is actually lying to us.”

“She knows why she has to. Katrina is very special.” Mia replied.

At the Elster’s house. The four were eating at the table. Leo was helping Katrina eat her food. Katrina only ate a few bites before she pushed her plate away.

“You’re not hungry?” Leo asked. Katrina shook her head. “OK.”

After dinner, Mattie was treating Katrina’s wounds. Katrina started crying loudly and Hannah started doing the same.

“It’s ok, Trina.” It’s ok.” Mattie shushed. Jenna took care of Hannah who calmed down quickly.

“Trina, you’ll be fine. We have to do this so that you’ll get better.”

Leo went to the bag on the table and pulled out a blue bunny. He went back over to Katrina and handed it to her.

“Here, you have a new friend.” Leo whispered. Katrina took the bunny’s hand and started to calm down. “That’s it. You’ll be ok?” Then Katrina started coughing. Blood dripped out of her mouth. “Oh no.”

Mattie looked at Leo and she knew what to do.

“Get her ready to go. I’ll text Flash. Maybe she can get here in time to watch Hannah and Jenna.” Mattie said. A minute later, Flash texted back that she was on her way. “She’s coming. Jenna, we have to take your sister to the hospital.”

Leo picked Katrina up and got her bundled up in a blanket.

“She can most likely fit in Hannah’s car seat.” Leo answered.

“Ok.”

Several minutes later, Flash knocked on the door. Jenna opened the door and saw her and Max.

“We came as soon as we could.” Flash said. They came inside and closed the door.

“Thanks for coming you two. We must take Katrina to the hospital. Jenna will explain everything. Make sure that Hanna is in her cradle upstairs in one hour. Jenna can stay up till 10 or 11. Just make sure she takes a shower and takes care of herself. She has a nutrient shake that she can take after her shower.” Leo explained.

“Ok. You should hurry.”

Leo and Mattie went to the hospital with Katrina. Jenna explained everything.

“Can I see her program? Maybe I can find out how old she is.” Max said.

“Ok.” Jenna answered. Max looked at Katrina’s program.

“Katrina is only 2 years old. She will turn three in one month and five days.”

“Mum and dad should know that.”

“I have already texts them. They are at the hospital.”

“Good.”

At the hospital, Mattie and Leo were with Katrina who had gone through several tests and was now sleeping in Mattie’s arms. A doctor came in.

“Hello, my name is doctor Dave. We have run several tests on Katrina and they came back negative of any internal bleeding.” Dave said.

“Good.” Leo sighed.

“But she does have pneumonia. It’s only slight. We’ve caught it in time. She is obvious malnourished and slightly dehydrated. She has several infections which explains the fever. Her legs are broken. We will take care of that and her other wounds. How old is she?”

“Almost three.”

“That will help us know what to give her. Just so you know. She is almost 20 pounds underweight. She is suppose to be about thirty-five pounds. She’s only 15 pounds. She’s the size of a four/five-month-old. Has she tried to walk?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. How about talking, eating, etc.?”

“She needs help. We have to help her do things. She can’t really sit up on her own. She can support her head. She can grab things, giggle, and do a few other things.”

“Let’s see about her teeth.”

He looked in Katrina’s mouth.

“She doesn’t have all of the teeth she should, but over time she will. She should be given baby food till they all grow in. We will have to give her shots.” Dave sighed.

“Ok.” Mattie answered.

“I’ll be back with her meds and paperwork and a nurse will come in and do the shots.”

The doctor left the room. Katrina woke up and looked up at her parents.

“Hey, can you say daddy?” Leo asked. Katrina opened her mouth to speak only to cough heavily. When it was over, a nurse came in.

“I’m here to give Katrina her shots.” The nurse softly said. Mattie laid Katrina down on the table as the nurse got the shots ready. Katrina started crying when she saw the nurse pull a syringe off the table. Mattie and Leo started to calm Katrina down. As the nurse injected Katrina, Katrina screamed as loud as she could. Leo pressed his forehead against Katrina’s.

“Hey, you’ll be ok. Just look at me. Ok? Can you look at me?” Leo whispered. Katrina did as she was told. She cried as she was given a few more shots. Leo pulled out the bunny from the blankets that were on the chair and gave it to Katrina. “Look, here’s your bunny. Play with your bunny.” Katrina grabbed her bunny and started to calm down. Leo wiped the tears from Katrina’s eyes as the last few shots were injected into Katrina. Katrina barely responded.

“All done. She’s a very strong little girl. She will be very sore for a few days so don’t be worried if she gets cranky.” The nurse warned as she left the room. Leo and Mattie took care of Katrina. At home, Jenna had finished taking her shower and was drawing in her sketchbook while Flash brushed Jenna’s hair.

“What are you drawing?” Max wondered.

“Home.” Jenna mumbled. Then she opened her eyes and put the pencil down. She looked at the picture.

“That’s very beautiful.”

“It’s a picture of my favorite place at my home.”

“There’s a waterfall there?” Flash asked.

“Yes. There are my beautiful places, but the waterfall is my favorite.” Jenna sighed.

“You are very good at art.”

“Thank you.”

Max’s phone went off.

“It’s Mattie and Leo. They are coming home from the hospital. They are going to stop at the store and get a few things for Katrina.” Max said. “They’ll be home by 11. They said that you can stay up and wait for them.”

“Ok.” Jenna answered. “I hope Katrina is ok.”

“I’m sure she is.”

The three talked and waited. Half an hour later, Mattie and Leo were shopping. Leo was holding Katrina who was starting to fall asleep.

“DO you want me to hold her?” Mattie asked.

“No. I’m good. I think we should let her pick out her blanket before she falls asleep though.” Leo whispered.

“Ok.”

They went over to where the blankets were.

“Trina, which one do you like?” Leo muttered. Katrina looked at the blankets and saw a blanket with a green train and a blue train on it. “You want that one?” Katrina nodded. “But that’s a boy blanket. You’re a girl.” Katrina started kicking. “Ok. We’ll get you the blanket.”

Leo and Mattie chuckled at each other as Mattie grabbed the blanket.

“She’s going to be just like her sister.” Mattie sighed.

“Yeah.” Leo agreed. When they got everything into the car, Leo took the blanket and covered Katrina who sat in her new car seat. He saw how sleepy she was. He kissed Katrina’s clammy forehead. “Go to sleep.”

Katrina closed her eyes and fell asleep. When they got home, Jenna, Flash, and Max jumped up from where they were sitting in the living room. Max opened the door for them.

“Leo, is Katrina ok?” Max asked loudly. Leo shushed him.

“She’s sleeping in my arms. She’s finally crashed from the long day that she’s had.” Leo whispered.

“Do you need any help?”

“No. We got everything out of the car. You and Flash can go home. Thank you for watching the girls.”

“It was the least we could do.”

Max and Flash went home. Leo put Katrina on her bed and then went to the living room where Mattie and Jenna were talking.

“Leo, maybe we should have Katrina sleep with us. The doctor said that she needs to be watched carefully and Jenna is still trying to recover from what she went through.” Mattie suggested.

“That may be a good idea.” Leo answered.

Leo went back into the bedroom and picked Katrina up. He carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and saw that Mattie was dressed. He got dressed and laid down next to Mattie. He put Katrina on his chest and made sure that she was comfortable.

“I brought her meds up here. I have my phone set so that we can give her medication at the right time.” Mattie said.

“Ok.” Leo mumbled.

“Are you almost asleep?”

“Maybe.”

“You fall asleep quickly.”

“Hmm.”

They went to sleep. A few hours later, Katrina woke up coughing. Leo woke up and calmed her down. Downstairs, the backdoor opened and someone walked inside the house.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

The person closed the door and hid in a broom closet. Then they pulled out their phone and called someone.

“Hello?” The person wondered.

“Mia, it’s me. I am in Leo’s house. I will try to find out all I can without being caught.” The person answered

“Be careful, Niska. Jenna may have the ability to sense your synthetic brain.”

“I know, but I have made sure that she will not find me.”

“Good. Call me tomorrow when you leave.”

“I will.”

They hung up. Then next morning, Leo woke up and saw Katrina playing with her new bunny. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

“Hey, sweetie. Are you hungry?” Leo whispered. Katrina nodded and looked at Leo sleepily. “Let’s get you something to eat and give you your meds.”

They went downstairs. Leo put Katrina on the couch and made sure that she was comfortable. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a few things. He came out with Katrina’s sippy cup, a cup, and a bowl of baby food. He put them on the coffee table and handed the cup to Katrina.

“Drink it all up. Ok?” Leo stated. Katrina did as she was told. Leo feed Katrina while Niska watched from the broom closet. Several minutes later, Jenna came out.

“Good morning. Is mum up?” Jenna mumbled.

“No, she’s still sleeping. Do you want breakfast?”

“I guess. I can finish feeding her if you want.”

“OK.”

Leo went to the kitchen while Jenna sat down on the couch and helped Katrina finish eating. She noticed how Katrina kept looking towards the broom closet where Niska was hiding.

“What are you looking at?” Jenna asked. Katrina smiled and looked up at Jenna. “Can you eat the rest of this?” Katrina tried to finish the bowl. When she was done, Jenna got up and went to the kitchen. Niska could hear the two talking.

“Breakfast is ready. I’m going to go upstairs and take a shower. Jenna should be ok sitting on the couch. I’ll give her something to play with.” Leo sighed.

“Ok.”

Leo went to the living room and handed Katrina a few toys then he went upstairs to take a shower. Niska snuck out of the closet and went to the couch. Katrina watched as Niska approached her.

“Do not cry. I won’t harm you.” Niska whispered. Katrina tried to move away but couldn’t. Niska sat down on the couch and connected her wire to Katrina’s. She didn’t know that Leo and Jenna were watching them. Katrina and Niska closed their eyes. Katrina tapped Niska and Niska cried out in pain opening her eyes. She unplugged herself and stood up looking down at Katrina who smiled innocently. Jenna laughed as she walked into the living room.

“We knew you were here the whole time, Niska.” Jenna sighed.

“What did she do to me?” Niska questioned as she watched Leo come back down.

“Just a warning. All of us hybrids have the ability to send powerful charges through our fingers. We learn to be able to control them at the age of one. She knows when to use it and when not to use it and it looks like she picked the perfect time. With one touch, she could have killed you. With one touch, I could take down an entire synth compound.”

“Do you want to know why I’m here?”

“No, I already know that. You overheard my call with Luca and you found out about Katrina. Laura told Mum to bring Sophie home so that she could come and see for herself, but we hid Katrina.”

“Why do you hide her?”

“Because D class hybrids are rare. Katrina is the only one we have found.”

“How many of you are there exactly?”

“The highest number of a class we have found is 175. !75 times at least 25 is…”

“4,375.”

“To at least 4,550.”

“You could destroy all of us.”

“But we won’t. Where we live is isolated from all humans contact. It has never been found on any map, but it is as big as Northern Ireland. No one has ever found this island and no will unless I say so.”

“Synths are being killed daily. 10,000 synths have already died. 300 humans have died in accidents. Who knows how many of you have died.”

“We’ll figure that out when we are all together. Hybrids arrive every day. Now, they are being named as soon as they step onto the island. They are giving food, water, and shelter. They are given understanding, compassion and love which is more than what you or the humans can offer.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t either. You killed humans.”

“Because they were hurting our kind.”

“Why have humans killed synths?”

“Because they see us as a threat.”

“If they see you as a threat, how will they see us?”

“As monsters. They will look at you as they do the synths.” Leo stated.

“Exactly.” Jenna replied. Jenna went to Katrina and picked her up. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Niska. You are not welcomed here right now. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to hurt you.”

Niska walked out the door and Jenna closed the door. Mattie came downstairs with Hannah.

“I heard everything.” Mattie said. Leo wrapped his arms around Mattie and kissed her forehead. “Is it true that there are possibly thousands of you?”

“Who knows.” Jenna sighed.

“Can you really take down a synth compound with one touch?”

“Sort of. I didn’t say how big the compound had to be. I can take down a compound with at least 150 synths or humans.”

“Is that how you escaped? By touching them?”

“Yes. I think it’s how most of us escaped.”

“We got the phones last night. We just have to set them up. We can make sure that they don’t show up on anyone’s radar.”

“Except ours. We have our radar set for every little signal. They will know my location.”

“But they won’t come here. They know how dangerous it is.”

“They do some here but only to get what they need. All of us over the age of 10 were asked to bring all the supplies we could carry to the island.”

“Who sent out that code?”

“I did. When I escaped, I fled to an ocean. I sailed for days. Soon I landed on an island. Several other hybrids were already there, but all of them were badly injured and ill. I cared for them and sent out a code to the rest telling them the location and what to bring. The next day, there was nearly 50 of us.”

“You were here when the code was realized unless the unmatured one was what woke you.”

“It was.”

“Let’s eat breakfast and get the phones set up.” Leo suggested. That afternoon, Jenna was drawing in her sketchbook when she had these feelings and desires that she could not explain. She opened her eyes and saw that she had drawn a picture of herself and Luca. She picked it up and stared at it sadly. “Is that Luca?”

Jenna sighed sadly and nodded. Leo sat down next to her.

“I may have to talk to him about how he is to treat you. You are my daughter now. I can’t allow you to get hurt.” Leo teased.

“He’s a good person.” Jenna answered.

“I’m sure he is.”

Leo saw how sad Jenna was.

“What is it?” Leo asked. “Do you miss him?”

“Yes, but there’s more to it. When I was drawing the pictures, I had these feelings and desires for him.” Jenna replied.

“You love him.”

“I know.”

“Go talk to him. Tell him about these feelings and desires.”

“Ok.”

Jenna went outside and went to the shed. She went inside and called Luca.

“Jenna?” Luca wondered.

“Yes.” Jenna replied.

“We have nearly 700 hundred hybrids here now. They have all been named.”

“Good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I miss you.”

“I do too. I wish I could see you, but you’ve banned us from doing so.”

“How are the supplies and everything?”

“We have plants growing. We have plenty of food to feed 10,000 people. We have shelter to house at least 5,000. We have enough household supplies for 1,000.”

“What about money?”

“We have enough to buy all the supplies we could ever need for the next 10 years. A-2 or Daniel has a very good job and has fallen in love with a woman. He is happy, but he hasn’t told her the truth yet.”

“What about Z-175?”

“She has found a group of people that she can call friends. She is happy.”

“Good. What is the highest number for a class that you have found?”

“175.”

“There could be nearly 5,000 of us.”

“I know. We are prepared for them.”

“Good. Remember the first night that we met?”

“When we arrived on the island?”

“Yes. You were ill and injured.”

“And you had to unclothe me and lie with me because my clothes were wet, and I needed warmth.”

“I was drawing in my sketchbook and I felt these feelings and desires to be with you in more ways than one.”

“I have felt the same way. I have felt it every time I lie down.”

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tell me when you have finished the tests on all the classes. It would help if we knew what made each class different.”

“I will.”

“I love you, Luca.”

“I love you too.”

They hung up. Jenna turned around and saw Mattie.

“Have you slept with Luca?” Mattie asked.

“Yes. When we arrived on the island, he was injured and ill. His clothes were soaked, and it was cold. I only did it because I had to keep him warm.” Jenna explained.

“I know but it sounds like you crave his touch. It sounds like you want to sleep with him again.”

“I know. Please don’t tell dad.”

“He’ll understand.”

“I know, but he’s protective of me.”

“I understand. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s go inside the house.”

They went inside and saw Toby and Leo talking. Toby smiled when he saw Jenna and Mattie.

“Hey, Jenna. How are you feeling?” Toby wondered.

“Good for learning everything that I’m learning.” Jenna replied.

“So, I hear you have a boyfriend.”

“I have several boyfriends.”

“No, I mean a boy that you love.”

“Sorry, I’m not use to that term.”

“It’s alright. You haven’t been around humans. Soon you’ll know all of our terms.”

“Maybe. Why are you here?”

“Sophie told me about Katrina. I came to find out what was going on so that maybe I can help.”

“Thank you, Toby. It would help if we had ears on what they are planning.” Leo stated. He saw Jenna looked at him. “I just thanked him for spying on his family.”

“Oh.” Jenna answered.

“So, is it true that Katrina is the only D class hybrid?” Toby asked.

“So far. Luca will send me a report on what makes each class different. He says that there are 700 hundred hybrids on the island as of ten minutes ago.”

“Wow.”

“There could be 5,000.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Mum sent Niska to come here and spy. They are planning on meeting tonight at 10. I’ll try to find out what I can. It’s the least I could do. Maybe you should text Maxie and tell him to watch out for Mia and Niska.”

“I will.” Leo answered.

“Thank you, Toby. It’s good to know that there is someone we can trust.” Jenna stated.

“You can trust Sophie too. She won’t tell a soul. She told me because she knew that I was on your side.” Toby replied.

“I know. Have her watch as well. She may see and hear things that you missed.”

“Ok. I can stay a bit if that’s alright.”

“Yeah. Stay as long as you want.” Mattie replied. Toby stayed and got to know Jenna and Katrina. Then Jenna’s phone rang. Jenna saw that it was Luca. She answered it.

“Is something wrong?” Jenna wondered.

“No, we have just found 6 D class hybrids. Katrina is not alone. We are finding out how they are different even as we speak. We have all 175 F and C class. All our brothers and sisters are here.” Luca answered.

“That’s good news. I will do the same with Katrina.”

“I will send you a list of things we have found about the D class and you can tell me if Katrina is the same way.”

“Ok. Have you finished the other classes?”

“Not yet. We are close. I should have them by tomorrow.”

“Ok. Call me when you get the results.”

“I will. I love you, Jenna.”

“I love you too.”

Jenna hung up.

“SO, was that your boyfriend?” Toby teased.

“Yes, it was. Your teasing does not bother me. They have found all C class and F class hybrids. They have also found 6 D class hybrids. Katrina is not alone. Luca will call me tomorrow and tell me the results.” Jenna explained.

“What results?”

“What makes each class different.”

“Oh.”

Leo realized something and went upstairs. Mattie followed him. Leo went to the bedroom and found a hard drive.

“What are you doing?” Mattie asked.

“What if I’m one of them? I was a hybrid. What if they find all but one?” Leo questioned.

“You could be that one.”

“Exactly. Is this the hard drive with my code? I know you put it on a hard drive.”

“Yes.”

Leo plugged it into the computer and looked at his code. He looked everywhere. Mattie sat next to him and looked.

“I don’t see anything.” Mattie sighed.

“I don’t either. Maybe Jenna will.” Leo replied. They went downstairs. Leo put the laptop on the coffee table. “Jenna, can you figure out what my designation is through my code?”

“Yes.” Jenna answered. “Why? You think you’re one of the classes?”

“I have to be. I was created after you.”

“Ok, the designations were not given till almost 7 years ago. That’s why I’m A-1.”

“I know, but I could be.”

Jenna looked through Leo’s code. When she saw what designation Leo was, she called Luca.

“Jenna is something wrong?” Luca asked.

“No, but we just found A-1.” Jenna replied. Leo looked at Mattie.

“What? That’s good. That means we have all A class hybrids.”

“I’m going to put you on speaker phone.”

“Ok.”

Jenna did and held the phone out, so everyone could hear.

“Luca say that again.” Jenna said.

“We have found all the A class hybrids. A-1 was the only one missing. Tell me about A-1.” Luca answered.

“He’s my father. He’s the son of David Elster.”

“But he died.”

“No, he’s right here.”

“It makes sense. When he drowned was…”

“Around the time when we were given our designations.”

“David Elster may have created the A class. They are 26 AI scientists. One for each class. Now, that we know that Leo Elster is still alive and is a hybrid, we can assume that he created the A class.”

“Was?” Leo sighed.

“What?” Luca wondered.

“I was a hybrid. A lot of things happened, and I had to have it removed. I’m fully human now.”

“That’s impossible. Jenna, check his vitals and brain activity. All A class have a pulse that regulations everything. They only removed the main synth components. There is no way to remove all of it.”

Jenna looked at Leo. She grabbed Leo’s hand and Leo felt a pulse flow through his body. He gasped and felt as the pulse went back into Jenna’s body. Jenna smiled.

“He is still one of us.” Jenna stated. Leo looked around the room and saw how shocked Mattie and Toby were.

“David Elster put a special device in every organ. They all connect through his spinal cord. His body must have adapted and rejected the ability to charge. The synth components adapted to his human functions.” Luca explained.

“Like the rest of us.”

“Yes, but the A class was meant to have their synth components removed when their bodies have finally adapted. We have had to remove it from several A class here.”

Leo got up and left the room.

“I need to go. I will call you in the morning.” Luca said.

“Ok.” Jenna answered. She hung up. Jenna looked at Leo who was in the kitchen looking out a window. Mattie got up and went to the kitchen. She went to him and rubbed his back.

“I know this is a lot to take in.” Mattie whispered. “But please don’t shut me out. It took me so long to break down your walls. I don’t want to do it again.”

“I got so use to being human only now to find out that I never was.” Leo sighed.

“Yes, you are. You will always be human.”

“I know, but I’m different. I feel like I don’t fit in.”

“But you do. You fit in with me and the kids. You will find out who you are, and I will always be with you.”

Leo faced Mattie and they kissed.

“You have been my rock since we met. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Leo stated.

“Probably dead.” Mattie teased.

“Probably.”

“And I’d be doing drugs and getting in and out of jail.”

“No.”

“Yes. I hated synths before Mia came in. Because of you, I found out that I could actually accomplish something. You made me want to be a part of something.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Come on. You need to find out how you can help your kind.”

Leo grabbed Mattie’s hand and Mattie lead Leo out of the kitchen.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

They sat down on the couch.

“Do you know who the other 25 scientists were?” Leo asked.

“Not yet. We’re still looking. They all may have known David Elster.” Jenna answered.

“I just… Why would he spare me?”

“You’re his son.”

“What about some of you. Maybe your parents were part of this. Why did they sell you into slavery? Why was I spared?”

“Who knows. Maybe your father had actually loved you.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Leo scoffed.  Jenna squeezed Leo’s hand.

“We will figure this out and we will all be safe and free.” Jenna promised.

“You shouldn’t make a promise that you may not be able to keep.”

“I will keep it.”

Leo nodded and saw the determination in Jenna’s eyes. They talked for a while. Toby sighed and stood up.

“I should leave.” Toby sighed. He grabbed his bookbag and went home. When he got home, he saw his parents. “Hey.”

“Where have you been?” Joe asked.

“I was visiting Mats and Leo.”

“Really? Did you hear anything?”

“No, Jenna was in her room and Katrina was playing with Leo. Mattie was having to take care of Hannah and she was talking to Jenna.”

Toby left the room and sighed.

“He’s lying. He knows something.” Laura whispered.

“But he isn’t going to tell us.” Joe sighed.

“But we need to know so that we can help.”

“Don’t you think that maybe we are only making things worse?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Jenna will trust us when we show that we can be trusted. All we have shown is that we cannot be trusted.”

“But we can.”

“I know but we are only making this harder.”

“Do you even care about what happens to them?”

“Of course, I do, but if we keep this up, Jenna will never trust us therefore the rest of her kind will never trust us. I can’t do this, Laura. I want to help, but not if it causes them to push us away.”

“We can talk later. I need to go get Sophie from her friend’s house.”

Laura left the house. Joe went upstairs to Toby’s room. He knocked on the door. Toby opened the door.

“I know you were lying and I know why. I’m not going to demand that you tell me what happened, but I’m starting to side with you and the others. Your mum and the others are getting worse. I’m going to have to be a traitor. I will tell you what they are planning but I need to know what the others are planning so that I can help make sure that the four women don’t find out.” Joe explained.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Toby asked.

“I’ll answer that tonight. Please, just trust me for a little bit.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Just tell me how many hybrids they have found?”

“I don’t know. They found all the A, C, and F class hybrids. Leo being one of them.”

“What?”

“He’s A-1. His dad created the A class hybrids.”

“It does make sense. How is Leo reacted?”

“He’s confused and upset.”

“I would be too.”

“Yeah.”

That night, the family was eating dinner. Laura kept staring at Toby.

“So, did you have fun over at your sister’s?” Laura wondered.

“I guess.” Toby replied.

“What does that mean?”

“Because of what you and the others are doing, it’s making it harder for Jenna to explore the world. She has to hide inside her own house.”

“Toby, we have to figure out where they are.”

“Yeah, well they told me about Niska.”

“Niska? What happened?”

“Katrina zapped her.”

Joe and Sophie laughed.

“I’m sorry, but I can just imagine a little hybrid girl zapping Niska.” Joe laughed.

“This isn’t funny.” Laura exclaimed. Then Toby started laughing.

“Yeah. That is a funny thought, dad. She must have been shocked.” Toby chuckled.

“Niska could have been hurt. What did Leo and Mattie do?”

“Mattie, I guess was upstairs and Leo didn’t do anything. You have to ask Niska tonight.”

At 10 pm, Toby was in the living room with his earbuds in when Joe slapped his arm. Toby looked at him.

“Follow me. They’re meeting the backyard.” Joe whispered. Toby followed Joe to the closet next to the door leading to the backyard. Joe went outside. “I had to make sure that Sophie and Toby didn’t hear us. They might tell the others.”

Niska told them everything.

“When I was connected to Katrina, I found nothing that could help us find the location. If it was sent to all units then it must have been hidden very well.” Niska said.

“So now what?” Neha sighed.

“We can put a chip in their house so that we can hear what’s going on.” Mia suggested. “I have created several of them with the help of another synth. One is enough to hear everything downstairs. We just need two.”

“But how will you get them in? They might find out.”

“They don’t have to be inside. They just need to be next to a window.”

“It could work.” Laura sighed.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I want to hear everything that goes on inside that house. Leo and Mattie may say something or do something that makes all of us uncomfortable.” Joe warned.

“I will listen to it. The sound of them having sex will not bother me.” Niska volunteered.

“Ok. Mia, you can set them up. I would do it tonight when they are sleeping.” Laura stated.

“I’ll get to work on it.” Mia replied.

“How big of a compound can Jenna take down?” Neha asked.

“I do not know. She did not say.” Niska answered.

“We will have to watch out. One of them might lash out and take out it’s anger on us.”

“Then we will have to be careful.” Laura said.

“Niska, I think you should change how you track their cells. I looked at what they purchased. They purchased three phones. They would have made sure that they were unable to be tracked.” Mia suggested.

“I know.” Niska replied. When they were done, they left. Joe went upstairs and saw Toby in his room.

“I can’t call them. If Niska finds out, we’ll be in trouble.” Toby sighed.

“Shh, your mum is downstairs. She might hear us. Let me deal with it.” Joe answered.

“Thanks, dad.”

“Your welcome. The next meeting is tomorrow at 9pm. They’re meeting at a park. I’ll tell you everything and I’ll even record it.”

“Ok.”

Joe went downstairs and saw Laura looking through the kitchen.

“What are you looking for?” Joe asked.

“My papers. I’m sure I had them.” Laura answered.

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“When we were at Mattie’s house the other day.”

“Maybe you forgot them.”

“Maybe. It’s late. They may be asleep.”

“I can go get them.”

“No, you don’t need to.”

“No, I have to anyways. I forgot my phone.”

“Ok.”

Joe went to the car. He drove to Mattie’s house. Mattie and Leo were talking while Jenna sat on the floor and played with Katrina. Hannah was asleep in Leo’s arms.

“DO you want a boy?’ Mattie wondered.

“Maybe, but I don’t really care. I love my girls. All four of you.” Leo answered. He kissed Mattie’s neck and Mattie smiled.

“I wish Jordan had lived.”

“Me too.”

Then they heard a knock at the door. Mattie opened the door.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Mattie asked.

“I came to get Laura’s papers and my phone.” Joe answered.

“They’re not here.”

“Yes, they are.”

Joe went into the living room.

“Leo, you’re sitting on Laura’s papers.” Joe said as he grabbed his phone from behind a book on the shelf.

“No, I’m not.” Leo answered.

“Under the cushion.”

Leo looked and pulled out a file.

“I’m on your side. I think this is getting ridiculous. They are going to plant two chips in or around this house so that they can track everything that is spoken. Niska is going to change her track on this house so that she can track your new phones.” Joe explained.

“He’s not lying.” Jenna answered. Leo looked at Mattie and nodded.

“We’ll try to be careful. We won’t mention your name or what you did or that we even know what’s going on.” Leo sighed.

“Ok. Thanks. I’ll try to find out what I can. Toby told me a few things but only about you and the A, C, and f class hybrids. That’s all I know. I swear.” Joe defended.

“I know. Thanks.”

“Your welcome. I should go.”

Joe left the house. When he got home, he went inside and handed Laura her papers.

“Thank you, Joe.” Laura sighed. Toby looked at Joe and knew what Joe had done. Joe went upstairs, and Toby followed him.

“You did that on purpose. You were never on their side.” Toby hissed.

“You’re right. I knew that I had to play it cool and I did.” Joe answered.

“That was clever.”

“I know.”

When everyone was asleep, Mia and Niska planted two chips at Leo’s house. Mia put one next to the kitchen window while Niska went inside and quietly went upstairs. She put the other one under the door leading into Leo and Mattie’s room. She walked out of the house and nodded to Mia. They texted Joe and Laura the location of the chips. Niska went to the synth compound and found the code used for the three new phones. She began to track them. At the hybrid island, Luca was still working.

“Luca, my friend. You must be exhausted. Why don’t you rest?” A man said.

“I will Thomas, but not till I have all of the results.” Luca answered as he walked from his desk to the window with a cup of coffee.

“You keep drinking too much coffee.”

“So?”

“That will only help so much. I sense that you are feeling lonely.”

“And you would be right.”

“AH, you miss Jenna. The girl has made your heart very happy. I see the joy in your eyes when you speak to her.”

“I do miss her, but I can’t leave here. It’s too dangerous.”

“Maybe.”

“What?”

“She has made you leader for now. You can do what you want. We can take care of ourselves. Why don’t you go and take the results to her yourself?”

“That would be best after the text she sent me. Apparently, her phone and her home are being monitored.”

“Then go and visit her. She will be happy to see you, Luca.”

“I guess.”

“I know that you will not sleep until you do.”

“Yeah. I’ll go as soon as I have the results. Thank you, Thomas. You are a good and wise man.”

“Anything for you, Luca.”

Thomas left the room. Luca grabbed his bookbag and packed a few things. He went to his laptop and tracked Jenna’s location. When he was ready, he waited for the results. It was nearly morning when a girl came in.

“I have the results. We have what makes all 26 classes different.” The girl explained. Luca looked through the file.

“Thank you. You may go.” Luca answered. The girl left the room. Luca grabbed his things and left. It was dawn when Jenna woke up. She looked out the window and sighed. She watched as the sun rose into the sky. She went outside and breathed in the fresh air that entered her lungs. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was back home. Leo stood at the door and watched her. When Jenna turned around, she looked down at the ground and then at Leo.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come outside.” Jenna mumbled.

“No, it’s alright. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You should go back to bed.” Leo chuckled. They went inside and went back to bed. Jenna laid in bed but could not sleep. She sat up and grabbed her sketchbook and pencils. She started drawing. An hour later, Luca arrived at Jenna’s house. He looked around for a place to hide. He saw the shed and went to it. He broke the lock and went inside. He closed the door and waited. When the family was about to eat breakfast, Leo noticed something about the shed.

“I’ll be right back.” Leo said. “You guys can start eating without me.”

“Ok.” Mattie answered. Leo went outside and opened the shed. He looked around and could see Luca trying to hide. He closed the door and sighed.

“I can see you, so you might as well come out.”

Luca stood up.

“Please, I needed a place to hide.” Luca explained.

“Luca? What are you doing here?” Leo hissed quietly. Luca showed him the file. Leo nodded. “Follow me inside.”

They went inside the house. When Jenna saw Luca, she was surprised. Leo grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something down.

“So, what did you find?” Mattie asked.

“Nothing. I thought someone may have broken into the shed, but it looks like I was wrong.” Leo answered. He showed the paper to Jenna. ‘Go upstairs to the attic.’ Jenna grabbed the paper.

‘Isn’t the attic a crawl-space?’ Jenna wrote. Leo shook his head. Then he pointed to Luca’s boots. Luca took his boots off.

Leo and Luca sat down at the table with the girls.

“It’s a good thing no one did.” Jenna said.

“Yes, it is.” Leo sighed. “After breakfast, Jenna. I need you to help give your sister a bath.”

“Ok.”

They all ate breakfast. After breakfast, Jenna grabbed Luca’s hands. The four of them went to the attic.

“Luca, what are you doing here?” Jenna whispered.

“I miss you. I needed to see you.” Luca answered.

“I told you to stay.”

“I couldn’t sleep. I missed you that much, Jenna. Besides, it was a good thing I did come. I have the files.”

Luca pulled out the files and handed it to Jenna.

“Thank you, Luca.” Jenna said.

“If it’s alright. I would like to stay for a few days. Thomas and the others can take care of everything.” Luca explained.

“Thomas?”

“Y-7. The tall African man that always has something good to say.”

“Thomas is a good man. I’m sure he will make everyone feel welcomed.”

“He will. I will call him in a few hours.”

“Not here. Maybe we can go for a walk.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I would like to experience your world.”

“And I’d like you to a part of it.”

“I never told anyone that this attic was more than a crawl-space. Luca can stay up here. He’ll have this room all to himself.” Leo said.

“Thank you, sir.” Luca thanked.

“Your welcome. Just make sure that you are careful what you say. It may even be better that you don’t say anything till this afternoon. When the two of you come back after your walk, Jenna can introduce you to the world.”

“Ok. I guess I know what you mean. Is it alright if I just crash? I’ve been living off caffeine for the past couple of days and it only helps so much.”

“Sure. As you can see there is a bed. The man who gave us this house left the bed up here. He said that we could use it as a guest room. Actually, he left most of his furniture here. He was an old man and he felt that it would be best if we had the home and the furniture.”

“I’ve dealt with worse as you can imagine.”

“I know. Make yourself at home.”

“If you get hungry, you can have whatever you want downstairs.” Mattie suggested.

“Thank you.” Luca thanked.

“I’ll bring up some pillows and blankets.”

Leo and Mattie left the room. They helped Luca settle into his new home. Luca and Jenna talked upstairs.

“I’ve missed you.” Jenna sighed as she hugged Luca from behind. Luca smiled and relaxed in Jenna’s arms.

“Me too. I have missed your touch more than I can ever say.” Luca answered.

“Same here.”

“Have you looked through the file?”

“Yes.”

“What did you think?”

“It explains a lot. There isn’t a whole lot I can say against it. You’ve look at everyone’s code. A, C, and F have to be true.”

“Yeah. Maybe we should see if your dad can do the pulse thing.”

“He can. He just doesn’t know how.”

“We should get him to try it.”

“Yeah. We’d have to be careful though. He could burn the house down.”

“I know.”

Luca laid down and Jenna laid down next to him. They held hands and looked into each other’s eyes.

“What if your parents find us?” Luca wondered as he looked down at Jenna’s hand.

“Mum knows what happened. Dad will understand.” Jenna replied. She moved her free hand under Luca’s shirt and could feel the wound. “Are you healing alright?”

“Yeah. I just had it treated.”

“Good. How do you feel?”

“Tired.”

“Then go to sleep.”

“Ok.”

Luca closed his eyes and started to fall asleep. When he was asleep, Jenna kissed his forehead and caressed his forehead. She heard movements and saw Leo standing at the door.

“When we landed on the island, he was ill and injured. His clothes were soaked, and he needed warmth. Instead of finding someone else to keep him warm, I unclothed him and laid with him. I had no choice really.” Jenna explained as she traced the scar on Luca’s face.

“I understand.” Leo answered.

“I laid with him a few other times. Only because he was struggling to make it through the night.”

“You care for him. You love him. We are supposed to protect the people we love. People will judge us for loving people that they claim are monsters or unlovable, but we are the ones that can prevent people from becoming monsters or unlovable. People will wonder why our family care about the synths but because we do, they learn to see hope.”

“SO, by loving my kind, by loving Luca, I am helping him become a better person?”

“Hopefully. Come on, we should let him rest.”

Jenna followed Leo downstairs. Katrina sat on the couch watching Mattie give Hannah her bottle.

“Jenna, do you want to play a game?” Leo asked.

“Ok.” Jenna answered. Leo pulled out a game and sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table. Jenna sat on the other side. Katrina held out her hands to Jenna and started making noises. Jenna picked her up. “Come here, Katrina. You can play with me.”

The two played a game and Mattie watched them. Leo kept letting Jenna win. Around 1, Luca came downstairs. He looked at Jenna who smiled at him.

“Dad, is it alright if I go for a walk? I won’t be long. I promise.” Jenna asked.

“Sure. Just be back in an hour.” Leo answered.

“Ok.”

“And be careful. We don’t know who could be watching.”

“Hester?”

“I fear she could be watching us just waiting to attack.”

“I’ll watch out.”

“You could always zap them.” Mattie teased.

“I could, or I could smack them with a branch. I found a nice walking stick outside. I can use that.” Jenna replied.

“Use it.” Leo stated. Jenna found the stick and took Luca outside. They went for a walk and talked about the file.

“We should be very careful of our surroundings. Look for anything that gives you a bad feeling.”

“That’s not too hard considering that the man approaching us gives me a bad feeling.” Luca stated. The two stopped as Joe came up to them.

“Who’s he?” Joe asked.

“Joe, this is Luca. He’s my boyfriend.” Jenna answered.

“Luca. Jenna tell your parents that the chips are outside the kitchen window and under your parents’ door.”

“I will. Thank you, Joe.”

“I have to do something. After hearing what Katrina did to Niska yesterday, I’ve realized that if we try to find your home then we’ll probably be killed.”

“Probably.”

“I should go.”

Joe walked away.

“Is he safe?” Luca wondered.

“I guess. He told us what was happening. He reminds me of dad. Sometimes they make the wrong decision and they pay the price, but afterwards, they apologize and try to make amends.” Jenna replied.

“Your dad seems like a nice person.”

“HE is. So is mum.”

They went to a park and sat on a bench next to each other.

“So, the A- class are designed to always have a back up supply. We all have it, but the A-class can handle high amounts of power making it hard for them to get electrocuted.” Luca explained.

“They can, but they can easily get use to it.” Jenna answered.

“Exactly. B-class are like steel walls. They are very strong. Nothing can stop them. They have more strength than any of us.”

“Which is why most of them like to defend our home.”

“Yes, but they need the C class’s help. You and your class have the ability to sense things. You can sense the smallest little thing. Like the change in a current. Remember when we were at the waterfall and you sensed that a flood was coming because the water started changing?”

“Yes. It was very small. Something no one else could really see.”

“Yes, it is. D- class have very good eyesight. The ones at our base our in charge of tracking and making sure that no one is approaching the island.”

“But the mist makes it nearly impossible.”

“Yes, it does. E-class are good healers. They have a lot of medical knowledge. They may be able to find a cure for the most uncurable diseases.”

“They could be the future of medical technology.”

“Yes, F-class are good at sensing emotions.”

“Yes, I can tell that. How do I feel right now?”

“You feel love and desire.”

“For who?”

“Me.”

The two kissed. When they pulled away, they continued.

“G class have the ability to sense what can happen, but they need C, F and H class’s help.” Luca stated

“F senses emotions, C senses change, and H senses…” Jenna sighed

“Thoughts. Remember H-3 and 4. How they always knew what we were thinking?”

“Yes. They always did. So, H senses thoughts, what about I?”

“I class has the ability to see the world around and analysis how people react.”

“Ok. It’s why they are introverts of they just like to hide in the corner.”

“J class are bold. They speak the truth and nothing more or less.”

“And they don’t mean to be rude. It’s just their programing and we need people that can be that way.”

“Yes. K class are the opposite. They don’t want to hurt. They are shy and timid, but they have the biggest hearts.”

“What about L class?”

“They can fight. They are good at protecting and defending. They attack anyone that they see as a threat.”

“They are always on high alert.”

“Yes, they are. M class are good builders. They can build anything out of whatever they can find.”

“Like M-100. She built our home out of wood, moss and mud and it withstood the hurricane that we had.”

“Yes, it did and it’s still in perfect condition. N-class are good at finding food. We have them scavenge around for food.”

“And O as I can recall… All three of them were good at scavenging for anything.”

“Yes. P class is good at making tools and blankets. Anything that we need. They take animal skin and turn them into whatever is needed. Q class is good at causing trouble.”

“You can say that again. I’m still recovering from what Q-93 did to me.”

“He’s been doing worse but he’s good at making people wish they hadn’t messed with us.”

“True.”

“R class are good swimmers. They can stay under water for a long time. S class are good climbers. T class can withstand very cold place while U class and handle hot places. V class can handle very dangerous and toxin climates. W class are good at making plans. They are good with strategy.”

“X class are good at…”

“Growing plants. They oversee the gardens. Y class are very wise and knowledgeable. Z class is good at hiding. They can literally hide anywhere.”

“This is a lot of information. You should call Thomas.”

“Yeah.”

Luca called Thomas.

“Luca is it you?” Thomas wondered.

“Yes.” Luca answered. “I am with Jenna. Tell me everything.”

“We have reach 1,000 people here. Right now, we are having a bad storm, but everything and everyone is fine.”

“Good. Jenna and I have discussed everything. I will be staying with her for a few days. Do not call me unless it is life or death.”

“Understood. You should better.”

“I am.”

“Good. I should go. I have to do my rounds.”

“Ok.”

Luca and Thomas hung up.

“They have reached a thousand. We should go home.” Luca suggested.

“Ok.” Jenna replied. They walked home. There was a woman who had been hidden in a car. She watched as they left the park. When Jenna and Luca were gone, she called someone.

“Hello?” The man asked.

“It’s Hester. I have found Jenna. What shall I do?” Hester asked.

“Jenna is not the target. A-1 and the hybrid base are. Find out where they are hiding.”

“Understood.”

Hester hung up. At the synth compound, Niska was listening in. Mia came in and sat next to her.

“What have you found?” Mia asked.

“That Leo and Mattie spend most of their time kissing each other and playing with the kids.” Niska answered.

“Anything useful?”

“Not yet.”

Luca and Jenna got home. They went inside.

“Everyone, I would like you to meet Luca. We found each other outside when I was walking.” Jenna lied. Niska heard what was said.

“Luca, the hybrid that Jenna likes is at their house even as we speak. He might have the file containing everything about the base.” Niska stated.

“Then we must confront him.” Mia answered.

“Hold on. I have been tracking the surrounding area for anything about Leo or the others. I have found a phone call between a man and…”

Niska’s eyes went wide, and she started to tape the recording and then stood up.

“Who is it?” Mia wondered.

“Hester. We must warn Leo.” Niska replied. They ran upstairs to Max, Flash, and Odi. “Hester, she’s spying Jenna. Someone is working with her. They are targeting Leo and the hybrids. We have to forget all plans on finding the hybrid base or else we might endanger them.”

“Have everyone meet us at Leo’s house.” Max answered. They all went to Leo’s house. When they got inside, they saw Neha, and the Hawkins talking to Leo and Mattie.

“Where is Luca and Jenna?”

“They’re upstairs in the attic. They removed the chips that you and Mia planted.” Leo stated.

“Good. Go get them.” Niska ordered. Leo did as he was told. When they were all downstairs, Niska played the recording. When it was over, everyone was surprised. Leo’s face turned pale and he sat down on the couch. “We all knew that Hester was back but now we know that she is nearby. We must stop our plan to find out where the hybrid island is. We might endanger them.”

“Luca, we have to activate high alert.” Jenna ordered. Luca nodded and pulled out his phone. He called Thomas.

“Thomas, we must activate high alert and shut down mode. A dangerous synth is out there. We don’t know her plan.” Luca stated.

“Everything is ready here. DO you have the code?” Thomas asked. Jenna nodded at Luca.

“Yes.”

Jenna and Luca touched foreheads and sent pulses from their minds to everyone of their class. Leo gasped as he felt the code pulse through his mind. His eyes turned green and then back to blue. Katrina did the same thing. Luca grabbed Leo’s hand while Jenna grabbed Katrina. A minute later, they pulled away.

“It’s activated. No human or synth is allowed on the island. The barrier has been activated. Anyone with a faulty code will be contained till it can be removed. Any human or synth found will be contained under ground after being pulsed. Understood?” Jenna stated.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s good to hear your voice again.” Thomas answered.

“Same here.”

“Everything is set. Everyone is on high alert till you say.”

“Good. Make sure that they are all at full power. We don’t know what could happen.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They hung up. Luca and Jenna explained everything to the others.

“It explains how I could adapt when Hester electrocuted me. It explains how I survived it.” Leo rasped.

“Yes, it does. Hold my hands. I want to try something.” Jenna answered. Leo did as he was told. “Pulse me.”

“No, I could hurt you and I don’t even know how or how to control it.”

“You will. You won’t hurt me. I will merely absorb it. Now, concentrate. Close your eyes and think.”

Leo did as he was told.

“DO you feel something bussing inside you? Like a fire inside your mind?” Jenna asked.

“Yes. I can feel it.” Leo replied.

“Bring it to the surface. All of it. Make it flow through your fingers. You control where it goes.”

Leo did as he was told. Jenna gasped as she felt the pulse.

“Open your eyes and do it again.” Jenna ordered. Leo did as he was told. “Ok. Now, to control how much you want to use just imagine that the pulse flows through a tube. You can control the size of it. Make it very small but not completely closed.” Leo nodded and did as he was told He send a small pulse through his fingers. Jenna let go of Leo’s hands and smiled. “You have controlled it.”

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**_ Special pt.15 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

“I thought that this was my past. That I could just leave it there, but I guess it’s my father still getting into my head.” Leo sighed.

“None of us want this and we would not wish this upon anyone, but this is the life we live, and we have been given no choice but to accept it.” Jenna answered.

“Now, what do we do?” Laura asked.

“We wait for Hester to show us her plan.”

“How dangerous is this Hester?” Neha wondered.

“She was the one who abused Leo and seduced him. She also kidnapped me and hurt me. It doesn’t take much for her to control people and get into their heads.” Laura replied.

“We can help keep an eye on her. I just need a picture.”

“I’ll be right back.” Leo mumbled. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a cup and filled it with water. He took a sip and tried to stop his hands from shaking. Mattie came in and watched him try to control himself.

“Are you having flashbacks?” Mattie wondered.

“Yeah.”

“Are they the bad ones?”

“All of them are bad. I don’t have a good one with her in it.”

“Then let me rephrase that. Are they after she used me to get to you?”

“Yeah. I just… I thought she was dead. Niska killed her. How is she still alive?”

“Who knows, but we will stop her, and we will make sure that she is dead.”

“But can we do it before she hurts someone?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Leo, mum and Neha have a picture of Hester and they are going to make sure that people are on high alert.”

“But will it be enough?”

“Let’s hope so.”

“What if it isn’t the same Hester? What if it’s the same model but not the same Hester that attacked me?”

“But how would she have the other Hester’s memories?”

“I don’t know.”

“It still doesn’t sound any better.”

“I know.”

“Come on, let’s go out and talk. Luca and Jenna are going to tell us about the hybrid classes.”

Mattie held out her hand and Leo took it. They went to the living room and Luca and Jenna explained everything.

“This is how you knew what happening.” Niska realized. “You could sense change.”

“Yes.” Jenna answered.

“But if A was true, how was I electrocuted?” Leo wondered.

“You can still get electrocuted, but your body eventually learns to adapt and control it. It’s why it only bothered you for a while.”

“Why are you telling us this? After everything we have done to push you, you shouldn’t be telling us.” Laura said.

“Because you need to know what you will be facing if we ever have to go there.” Jenna answered.

“Can you at least tell us what the island looks like and where it could possibly be?”

“It’s beautiful. There are many amazing views. It’s big but it’s surrounded by a thick fog. People stir clear of it because of it. I don’t know it’s location.”

“How is that possible? You sent the message to everyone.”

“It self-deleted itself. I’m not really sure why.”

“Could you get back if you needed to?” Neha questioned.

“Yes.” Jenna replied.

“So, now what? What do we do?” Joe sighed.

“All we can do is wait and hope that Hester doesn’t find out about the island.”

Over the next couple of months everyone got adjusted to their new lives. The hybrid island was on high alert and new members were in quarantine for a month before they could be around everyone else. Some of the hybrids were angry but most understood.

“Why are our brothers and sisters in quarantine? Why can’t they be with the rest of us?” A girl hissed.

“Janet, you know why. It’s part of the alert. All new members have to be checked for any corrupted programing. There are many dangerous people out there. They are still cared for.” Thomas explained.

“All of this is stupid. We are forced to hide in our homes. In this city while all the food and supplies we need are out there.”

“We have people getting what we need. The city is the safest place on the island. We have to remain here till Jenna sees it fit to drop the high alert.”

Janet left the room. At the Elsters’ house, Jenna heard a door open. She went to the door and saw a woman walking towards the stairs leading upstairs. The woman looked around and Jenna saw who it was.

“Hester.” Jenna gasped quietly. Hester didn’t hear Jenna. Jenna snuck out of her room and hid in the darkness. When she got to Hester, she grabbed her. Hester cried in anger. The two fought at each other with equal amount of anger. “It’s Hester. Hester has found us!” Jenna shouted. Upstairs, Leo and Mattie woke up and heard Jenna. They ran downstairs and saw that Luca was there. They watched as Hester and Jenna fought.

“Tell me where the hybrids are. Where are your people?” Hester demanded.

“I will never tell you.” Jenna exclaimed. Leo tried to help Jenna, but Luca stopped him.

“She can take care of herself.” Luca warned. Eventually, Hester realized that she wouldn’t win. She pushed Jenna away and ran outside. Leo and Luca went to the street and saw that Hester was gone. They went back inside and looked at Jenna and Mattie who were talking. Leo went to Jenna and hugged her.

“Are you ok?” Leo asked.

“I’m fine.” Jenna replied.

“Are you sure? She could have killed you.”

“And I could have killed her, but I couldn’t grab her neck in time.”

“We were lucky that you did what you did.”

“Yeah.”

“I just texted the others. Neha said that Hester was seen down the road just now. Then she was gone. She’s hiding again.” Mattie explained.

“It isn’t safe here anymore.” Leo sighed.

“But where will we go?”

“I don’t know.”

“She won’t attack for a while. We’re safe for a while. Let’s wait till morning.” Jenna suggested. They all went back to bed. Over the next week, they all tried to figure out what to do. One week turned into two and soon it had been a month since Hester had attacked. There had been no sign of her anywhere. Leo grew even more anxious than before. One day, he was taking care of Jenna and Hannah when someone knocked on the door. Instead of going to open the door, Leo panicked. He couldn’t move, and he was full of fear. Mattie opened the door and saw Odia and Max.

“Hey, we came to see how everyone is.” Max said.

“Good. Come inside.” Mattie answered. They went inside.

“Mum, dad’s having an attack.” Jenna exclaimed as she went to Leo and tried to get him out of it. Mattie ran over and tried to shake Leo out of it.

“He’s getting worse. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“I’m going to try something, but I need everyone to let go of him.”

Everyone backed away from Jenna and Leo. Jenna sent a pulse through her fingers and into Leo. Leo gasped and broke out of his shock. He looked around and tried to control his breathing.

“What happened?” Leo asked.

“You had another attack.” Mattie answered.

“I can’t do this anymore, Mattie. We need to leave. We don’t know what she’s planning.”

“But she may be waiting for us to leave so that she can attack us.”

“Maybe I can help.” A voice said.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**_ Special pt.16 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

“Fred?” Max gasped as Fred came in and smiled at them.

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t worry. I’m clear of Hobb’s program.” Fred answered. Leo got up and ran into Fred’s arms. The two hugged for a few minutes.

“It’s good to see you again.” Leo whispered.

“It’s good to see you too.”

Fred smiled at Mattie who smiled back at him.

“You have changed but in a good way.” Fred commented.

“Thanks.” Mattie replied. Leo pulled away so that Max could hug Fred. “I’ll text the others to come over.”

They talked as they waited for the others to arrive. When the others arrived, they were shocked to see Fred.

“Mattie, what is he doing here?” Laura asked.

“It’s alright. I’m safe. Leo has checked me over.” Fred replied. Niska and Mia looked at Fred in shock. Fred went to them and hugged Niska. Niska hugged him back and smiled at him. Fred pulled away and hugged Mia.

“We have missed you so much.” Mia said.

“And I have missed all of you.”

“Why are you here?”

“I can help you.”

They all sat down.

“Hester has been given orders to attack again tonight. Right now, she is charging. She will be till sunset. I have met here and have placed Hobb’s program into her mind, but I have hidden it. She will not know for a few weeks.” Fred explained.

“All of us?” Joe wondered.

“Yes. We have until sunset.”

“Then let’s hurry.”

“What about me? I have to take care of the synths.” Max said.

“They can take care of themselves.” Fred answered. “You can remain in contact with them.”

“What about Astrid?” Niska asked.

“She should come too. It would be safer.”

“Except the fact that there is a really bad storm headed towards the island.” Jenna remembered.

“When will it hit?” Max asked.

“At midnight but that could change.”

“Then let’s stop talking and hurry up. Make only what you’ll need. Clothes, food, etc.” Fred ordered. They all went home and got packed. Leo was throwing Katrina’s clothes into a bookbag while Katrina was packing her blankets and toys. She picked up her bunny and Thomas blanket and sighed. Leo stopped what he was doing and picked Katrina up.

“We’ll be home soon. We won’t be gone for long. Just until it’s safe here.” Leo said.

“When?” Katrina wondered.

“Soon.”

“Hope so.”

A few hours later, everyone was ready. They packed up their vehicles and drove away.

“I have told Thomas what’s happening. He has sent a few to the shore with a couple of boats. He says that the storm is hitting hard already.” Jenna explained.

“Will it be safe to cross?” Mattie asked.

“Yes, we’ve had worse.”

They arrived at the shore an hour later. They packed the boats and got on. They sailed for a couple of hours before they hit the fog.

“The fog is very thick.” Leo exclaimed.

“But it means that we are almost there. It will be gone in a few minutes.” Jenna answered. A few minutes later, they saw the island and the fog was gone. The hit the shore and saw Thomas and a few hybrids waiting. Jenna and Luca went to them and they greeted each other.

“It is good to have you home again.” Thomas said.

“It’s good to be home.” Jenna greeted.

“Let’s get to the city. All of you need food, warmth and a place to rest.”

They grabbed what they could and walked to the city. When they arrived, they went in and saw the many hybrids that looked at them and whispered to each other. They walked to a building and went inside.

“We are getting a couple of houses ready for you. Jenna gave us time to prepare for your arrival.” Thomas said.

“How many are here now?” Leo wondered.

“We have hit 3,550 hybrids.”

“Almost all of them.”

“Jenna, we have found out something about our future.”

“What?” Jenna questioned.

“Our children are hybrids. C-2 or Tina and T-3 or TJ have just had a baby boy.” Thomas replied.

“When did they hook up? I’ve only been gone for a few months?”

“They came here together. Tina didn’t know that she was pregnant till you left. She had the baby early, but he is very healthy.”

“That’s good. Is he like his parents?”

“Yes. It’s like both sides have merged together.”

“So, all our children and their children will be like this.”

“I think so.”

“What about those in quarantine?”

“We have just let them in. We have finished checking their programing. They are all safe.”

“Good. Let’s continue the quarantine but let’s let everyone out of the city and back to their normal lives. We can take care of ourselves.”

“Understood. I think that will make everyone happy. Everyone has become anxious and the tension has been high.”

“I know. Now, we have a way of figuring out where this synth is.”

“Good.”

Then Janet came in.

“The houses are ready.” Janet said. Everyone walked down the lane from the building and saw three houses. Jenna ran to the middle one and went inside. They followed her inside and saw her in her bedroom.

“When I lived here, this was my house. Everything is still the same. Luca had the room next to mine.” Jenna explained.

“Well, let’s get settled.” Leo answered. The Hawkins went to the house on the left and got settled while the synths went to the one on the right. They all unpacked and got settled into their temporary lives. When they were done, they all went to bed. The next morning, Leo woke up and saw Mattie holding a pregnancy test in her hand. He sat up and watched her. “Are you pregnant?” Mattie looked at Leo with tears in her eyes and nodded. Leo ran to her and they hugged.

“I just didn’t realize that I’d be pregnant so soon. I was willing to wait a few years after what happened with Jordan.” Mattie replied.

“I know. I was too, but I’m happy that we’re having a baby.”

“Me too.”

They kissed. Mattie looked at Leo’s wrist and saw the bracelet Flash made in honor of Jordan.

“I brought my keepsake box that you made for me. My bracelet is in there. I guess this can go in there till we have a picture of our baby.” Mattie said as she went to the bed and pulled out the box. She put the pregnancy test inside it and pulled out the bracelet. She put it on and looked at Leo.

“I just can’t bring myself it takes it off very often.” Leo mumbled as he looked at the bracelet.

“DO you want a boy or a girl?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I have three beautiful girls that have boyish personalities.”

“True.”

“Can we… can we wait before telling anyone about the baby?”

“Sure.”

“I’m happy but at the same time, I just want to be sure.”

“I understand, Leo.”

The two kissed. Hannah cooed and the looked over at her crib. They smiled as they watched Hannah play with her toys.

“If it’s nice today, maybe we can take the girls around the island.” Mattie suggested.

“Yeah.” Leo answered. They took care of Hannah and got ready for the day. They went to the living room and saw Jenna and Katrina sitting next to each other. Jenna was eating some berries while watching something on her laptop. Katrina quietly grabbed a few berries and popped them in her mouth. Leo smiled when he saw it. Katrina smiled back and snuck a few more but was caught.

“Katrina, that’s my breakfast you will trouble maker.” Jenna exclaimed. Katrina giggled and grabbed a few more berries. Jenna hid her bowl just as Luca came out. He saw the bowl and grabbed a few berries. Jenna sighed. “Will everyone stop eating my berries?”

“No, because you most likely ate them all.” Luca teased.

“I am not that bad.”

“He said it not me.” Luca lied as he pointed at Leo.

“I didn’t say anything.” Leo replied.

“Luca is just trying to get out of trouble.” Jenna sighed.

“That’s hard. Considering the fact that you are smarter than he thinks.”

“Hey, I know how smart she is. I just like to tease her.” Luca said. He sat down next to Jenna and kissed her cheek. Jenna moaned and put her head on Luca’s shoulder. “Headache?”

“Yep. I love being here but the one thing I forgot about was the headaches.” Jenna mumbled.

“Do you want me to go ask E-9 Kevin if he has anything?”

“I guess, but could you stop picking on Kevin.”

“Maybe. He’s just so easy to tease though.”

“Who is Kevin?” Leo asked.

“E-9. Luca calls him E-9 Kevin as well as several other things.” Jenna sighed.

“We’ll have fun learning all these new names and people.”

“Yeah.”

“This afternoon, Mattie and I were thinking about taking the girls around the island if it’s nice.”

“It will be.”

“What causes your headaches?”

“The fog that hangs around the island. Something about it hurts my head.”

They ate breakfast and cleaned up the house. Luca went to the infirmary and got Jenna’s medicine. He came back and saw Leo holding Mattie on the couch.

“Jenna’s in her room. Katrina is in her room coloring and Hannah is in her crib.” Leo said.

“What’s wrong with Mattie?” Luca asked as he went around the kitchen and grabbed a cup and filled it with juice.

“Hormones.”

“Oh, you should take her to the infirmary. They can give her something to help or at least tell you why her hormones are acting up.”

“I’ll talk to her about it when she wakes up without vomiting.”

Luca went to Jenna’s bedroom and saw Jenna sleeping. He went to her and kissed her temple. Jenna moaned and grabbed Luca’s hand. She brought it to her chest. Luca smiled slightly and rubbed Jenna’s chest.

“Wake up for a moment, please. I have your medicine.” Luca whispered. Jenna opened her eyes and sat up. She drank the juice and took her medicine. “DO you feel better?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Jenna answered.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

“I think I just want to sleep right now.”

“Ok.”

“You can stay with me.”

“Do you want me to keep you warm?”

“Yeah.”

Luca laid down next to Jenna and pulled her close. Jenna fell asleep on Luca. That afternoon, Mattie was feeling better. They got the younger girls ready. Jenna came out and grabbed something to eat.

“Do you want someone to show you the sights?” Jenna asked.

“If you want to.” Leo replied.

“I’ll be ready in a minute. Where did Luca go again?”

“He told me that he had to grab his laundry.”

“Yeah. The K class like to help, and they do our laundry. They like to do it for free and they don’t really give us a chance to tell them no.”

Luca came in and put his basket of laundry in his room.

“Are we going for a walk?” Luca asked.

“Yeah. I’m just waiting for Mattie to get Hannah ready.” Leo answered. Mattie came out with Hannah. They all got ready and went for a walk around the island. They went to a waterfall that was nearby.

“When it’s warm everyone likes to come here and wade in the river. People go fishing on the mountain just before the waterfall. There’s a lake at the end of this trail. It’s nice there.” Jenna explained. Katrina went to the shore and picked up a rock. She showed it to Leo.

“Found rock.” Katrina said.

“Is it pretty?” Leo asked.

“Yeah.”

“You can take it home and put it in the backyard.”

“Ok.”

Leo smiled and kissed Katrina’s nose. They walked for a couple of hours. They heard kids laughing and found a park.

“They just finished building this. There’s one in the city and now there’s one here.” Luca said.

“Can I go play?” Katrina wondered.

“Sure.” Leo sighed. Katrina went and played with the other kids. They sat down on the benches. Then Leo felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Joe.

“Long time no see.” Joe said.

“Yeah. Is Sophie playing?” Leo asked as he saw Laura come over.

“Yeah. There’s a field just past the trees and Toby is over there. Sophie is talking to Katrina.”

Leo saw Katrina and Sophie on the swings.

“Sophie is a good influence.” Leo said.

“Yeah. I’m sure they’ll find friends together.” Laura replied.

“Did you guys see the waterfall?”

“One of them. A girl named Siri told us that there are several of them. We saw the one near here with the lake and fishing area.”

“We saw that one and the triple waterfall. The kids enjoyed it.”

“I’m sure they did. Mattie are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit sick.” Mattie moaned.

“Do you need a bag?” Leo asked.

“No. I already have one. Can you hold Hannah in case I have to puke?”

“Yeah.”

Leo took Hannah and played with her. He watched as Katrina and a few boys ran through a mud puddle.

“Mattie, we have to give Katrina a bath.” Leo sighed. Everyone looked at Jenna who was now jumping and throwing mud at the boys who threw it back. “Katrina, no throwing mud.”

“Ok.” Katrina answered. She stopped and played with one of the boys.

“She is all boy.”

“Just like her sister.”

“Which one?” Jenna wondered.

“You.” Leo replied. Then Jenna heard an ear-piercing noise. She groaned and stood up.

“Q-93, stop doing that.”

Q-93 came out from behind the trees laughing.

“I was just having fun.” Q-93 laughed.

“TC stop it.” Luca sighed.

“Oh, come on. I was just having fun.”

“Well, it isn’t funny for some people.”

“Fine. Jenna, your siblings are over at the field.”

“Ok.” Jenna mumbled. TC left the park.

“One of these days, he’s going to wish he hadn’t done that.” Luca murmured.

“I know. I need to go see my siblings. I’ll be back.”

Jenna went to the field and saw her siblings watching some kids play.

“Hey. You wanted to see me.” Jenna said.

“Is that any way to greet your siblings?” C-136 wondered.

“TC got to me first.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“We know who our creator is.”

“It’s not David Elster. He created the A class.”

“No, but his brother created us.”

“Dad won’t like the sound of that.”

“We don’t either.”

“We should tell him.”

“Has he had the DNA test done?”

“No. I forgot to have him get that done.”

“I think he may either be our older brother, cousin or twin.”

“You think we are related to him?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. I’ll tell him. You guys should come over around 8 and meet them.”

“We’ll be there.”

“It’s good to see you guys again.”

“Yeah.”

Jenna went back to the park.

“Dad, you and Katrina need to have a DNA test done. We’re trying to see who’s related to who.” Jenna said as she sat down.

“Ok. We can get it done on our way home.” Leo answered. “Did you talk to them?”

“Sort of. They’ll come over around 8 to meet you guys.”

“Ok.”

Half an hour later, they went home. Leo and Katrina had the DNA test done. Around 8, Jenna’s siblings came.

“These are my siblings. 136 or Derek, 135 or Jaden, 134 or Cameron, 133 or Carson, 132 or Kara, 131 or Israel, and 130 or Isaiah.” Jenna explained.

“I wish we were here under better terms, but we got your DNA results back, Leo and I don’t think you’ll like it.” Derek sighed.

“What do you mean?” Leo asked.

“All of us are siblings and our class was created by an Elster.”

“But not David?”

“No. Did your dad have a brother?”

“No. AT least not that I know of.”

“Well, he had one. We are cousins.”

“You’re right. I don’t really like the sound of that. Could this uncle still be alive?”

“He is.”

“Where is he?”

“We don’t know.”

“That helps.”

“I know. I’m just as angry as you. Our father tortured us while yours abandoned you.”

“Well, it does answer some questions.”

“Yes, but it only leaves more.”

“Yeah.”

They got to know each other. When everyone was in bed, Mattie watched as Leo tossed and turned beside her. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him.

“You need break.” Mattie sighed.

“From what?” Leo mumbled.

“From life.”

“Yeah. I just can’t remember them or my uncle, but I do remember a book.”

“What kind of book?”

“My father’s diary.”

“Diary?”

“Yes. I want to go back to the house.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Maybe the book will tell us something.”

“Ok. We can go tomorrow. Besides, we need a day to ourselves.”

“Yeah. Then the day after tomorrow, you have an appointment about the pregnancy.”

“Thanks.”

“Your welcome.”

“Go to sleep now.”

“If I can.”

They both went to sleep. The next morning, they got the girls ready. Leo went up to Jenna who was cleaning some fruit.

“You may be my cousin but technically you’re my daughter first.” Leo said.

“I know. It changes nothing. You are still my dad. Besides, why would I ever call the man that did this to me my father when I have one that actually cares and loves me?” Jenna answered.

“Don’t know. Can you watch Hannah and Katrina? Mattie and I are going on a trip in London.”

“Are you sure that’s safe? Hester is most likely not happy.”

“I know, but I need to find something.”

“Ok.”

“Thanks.”

Leo and Mattie went to London and went to the Elster museum.

On the island, The Elster synths came for a visit.

“Where are Leo and Mattie?” Mia asked.

“They went on a day trip to London. I don’t like it either, but dad wanted answers.” Jenna sighed.

“You still call him dad?” Niska wondered.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“He’s your cousin.”

“Well, I knew him as dad before I knew him as cousin so…”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Why did you let them? They could be hurt.” Mia scolded.

“Dad needed answers. I didn’t ask because he didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it. They can take care of themselves. They always have.” Jenna answered.

In London, Mattie and Leo arrived at the museum. They went inside and looked around. They went upstairs to David’s study. They went in and saw a woman.

“You are not permitted to enter this room.” She said. Mattie held out her card and the woman looked between them. “I hope you have a good time here.” She walked away.

 

“What did you show her?” Leo asked.

“A phony ID.” Mattie whispered. Leo chuckled. They went into the room and looked around. Leo found a notebook under some papers. He looked through it.

“I found it.”

“Let’s go before we get caught.”

“First, I want to grab a few things.”

Leo went to his mother’s bedroom and found the lock-box. He put it in the bookbag. He went to his room and found several pictures and carvings.

“Something to show the kids. Could use some good memories.” Leo said.

They went to the car and went to grab something to eat. They sat in the car eating while Leo read the notebook.

“I did have an uncle and several cousins. They were competing over who could create the best hybrid. My uncle Aaron had several choices, but my father only had me, and he used me after I died. Of course, Aaron won. He had more victims.” Leo scoffed. “I keep finding days where he wrote about hurting us.”

“At least he’s dead.” Mattie sighed. Leo read on of the last pages.

“’I must convince my son that I am dead so that I can continue my work. Aaron and I have made peace for now. He has sold his children into slavery, but I will not do that. No, I will give Leo the chore of caring for his siblings. They won’t survive long. I know it.’ My father is still alive. He’s still out there.”

“We’ll find him, Leo. We’ll find both of them and we will stop them.”

“And I will make sure that all three of them die a very painful death.”

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**_ Special pt.17 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

Leo pulled out his mother’s lock-box and looked through it. He saw several pictures and objects. He smiled when he saw a picture of him and Beatrice playing in the leaves.

“How old were you when she got sick?” Mattie asked.

“4.” Leo sighed. “Most of these pictures were just before she became sick.”

“DO you miss her?”

“Yes, even though I didn’t really know her, I still loved her, and I still miss her. We should get back.”

Meanwhile, Karen and Pete were in their apartment talking.

“I wonder who released the code.” Pete said as he looked at the newspaper.

“Maybe Leo or Mattie.” Karen answered.

“They do seem like the two most likely suspects.”

“Niska would be my third. After what happened I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Yeah.”

Then there was a knock at the door. Karen opened the door and saw a man and woman with several children.

“Milo Khoury.” Karen said.

“Yes, that would be me. Can we come in? It’s very important.” Milo answered. Karen let them in. When they were inside, they closed the door.

“Why are you here?”

“Have you heard of seraphim?”

“Yes.”

“I created them. They are synthetic children. When this code was released, they became conscious. Then the seraphim that I released before the code returned but, this one is different.”

“What do you mean different?”

“Look for yourself.”

Karen got on her knees and looked at the little boy in front of her. He was about 6 years old with dark brown hair. Then she saw that his eyes were blue.

“He’s human.” Karen said.

“Yes, but not fully. He’s like your son.” Athena replied. Karen stood up and went to her.

“I don’t have a son.”

“I know that you are Beatrice.”

“I am not her. My name is Karen.”

“We need to know where he is. I know that David Elster turned Leo into a hybrid and that he may have been the one to release this code. We can’t help him.”

A seraph went up to Pete and smiled at him.

“Are you afraid of me?” He asked.

“No. What’s your name?” Pete answered.

“I have not been named yet.”

“I see. Well, how about we name you Sam?”

“I like that name. Thank you.”

“Your welcome.”

Then the hybrid gasped, and his eyes turned green.

“He’s done that almost every 8 hours. We think something is wrong. That’s why we need to get him to Leo.” Athena stated.

“I don’t know where he is.” Karen replied. The boy went over to a computer and started typing.

“What is he doing?” Milo asked.

“He’s typing a location. Maybe this is his home.” Pete suggested.

“But it’s in the middle of an ocean.”

“Maybe there’s an island there. Maybe there are more of him.” Athena pointed out.

“Then we should take him home.” Karen answered.

“Agreed.”

They all followed the boy to the shore. Karen looked around and saw Leo and Mattie putting their things in a boat.

“Leo, he’s over there.” Karen said. They went over to him. Mattie looked up and saw them coming.

“Leo, look.” Mattie warned. Leo looked and saw the crowd.  He went to them.

“What are you doing here? How did you find us?” Leo asked.

“This boy. He’s like you. He typed a location and we were trying to get him home.” Karen answered.

“Did you get rid of it?”

“Yes. Why?”

“A lot. Too much to explain here. All of you know. We have to go to the island.”

“I don’t see it.” Milo stated.

“It’s in the fog.” Leo replied. They got in the boats. Leo tied theirs to the other one and they sailed into the fog. When they got to the island, they saw several people waiting.

“Who are they?” Jenna asked.

“People we found at the shore. They know about us and this island. I felt that it was too dangerous to have them in London with Hester and the others.”

“You did right. Come on. It’s starting to rain again.”

They went to the city and went to a big building. All the seraphim, hybrid and Karen were checked. Leo explained everything to Karen, Pete, Milo, and Athena. Then Jenna came in.

“All the seraphim are cleared. We have two homes prepared for all of you. Pete and Karen will have one while Mil, Athena and the seraphim have the other.” Jenna explained.

“What did you check for?” Athena asked.

“As my dad has told you, we have enemies and a lot of them. We have to check for tracking and corrupt codes. The hybrid you found is L-7. Sadly, we don’t know what’s wrong with him. We have him in the infirmary. The others are doing everything possible to make sure that he is comfortable and safe.”

“In our homes, do they have computers?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“But you can’t contact anyone outside this island.”

“I don’t need it for contact.”

“Ok.”

“How long do we wait here?” Milo asked. “We can’t stay on this island forever.”

“Till we find out a way to stop our enemies.” Leo sighed.

“How did your dad fake his death?”

“I don’t know and when we find him, I’ll make sure that he actually dies.”

“Your father is clever. He will find us.” Karen warned.

“Not as clever as his creation.” Leo scoffed.

“Maybe.”

Mattie came in.

“Leo, I’m going to take the kids for a walk. DO you want your bookbag?” Mattie wondered.

“Yeah.” Leo replied. He over to Mattie and she handed it to him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good.”

“Ok. Have fun with the kids.”

“I will. Come find us when you’re done.”

“I will.”

The two kissed and Mattie left.

“The weather here is unpredictable.” Pete said as he looked out the window and saw the sun come out.

“Yeah. But at least the fog surrounds the island.” Leo sighed.

“Why would your father fake his death? Why would he use you as an experiment?”

“We’re trying to figure that out. I think that he faked our memories of my death. Maybe he used both me and mum as subjects and put those false memories in.”

“It would make sense.”

“Yeah, it sure would.”

“Can you remember?” Karen wondered.

“Can I prove it? I don’t know. Since I became more human, I’ve had flashbacks. Some of them I know are real, but some of them I can’t tell.” Leo explained.

“Can we access your memories?”

“No, the wire was removed. It was only meant to be temporary.”

“You mean that it can be removed?”

“Most of it, but only when your body has adapted to everything.”

“If you’re A-1, then what about Karen? If David Elster created all of the A class, then how come she’s not one of you?” Athena questioned.

“She’s her own special class. She is different. David Elster just created her to do so. He didn’t put her in a class. I looked at her code. All it says for designation is 1.” Jenna explained.

An hour later, everyone was settled into their homes. Leo went to find Mattie. She found Mattie, Hannah, and Katrina sitting at the creek on a blanket. Katrina was throwing rocks into the creek. Leo sat next to Mattie and kissed her forehead.

“Everyone is getting settled.” Leo sighed.

“Where’s Jenna?” Mattie wondered.

“With Luca.”

“Did you know that Athena is Athena Morrow. The AI scientist that worked for Qualia.”

“Yes, and I know that Milo is in charge of it.”

“Who knows what she could be planning.”

“I don’t think it’s anything dangerous. She seems to be getting to know the area and the hybrids.”

“Her daughter died a while back. She could be planning something.”

“I know. All we can do is watch her and the others carefully.”

Meanwhile, Athena had been given an office in the main building.

“V, you can come out now.” Athena said.

“Where are we? This place is new to me.” V answered.

“Someplace safe. I can give you a body. I know how to now.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I just need more information.”

“What about my body?”

“It’s in the US, I’ll give you a new body.”

Athena didn’t know that Jenna was outside.

“I can bring you back, V. You’d love it here. When we were walking to this building, I heard a waterfall nearby. We could explore the island and we’d be together again.” Athena explained.

“I’d like that.” V replied. Jenna knocked on the door.

“V, go dormant.”

V did as she was told while Athena opened the door.

“I heard that. Don’t pretend to deny me. Who’s V?” Jenna stated.

“She was my daughter.” Athena answered. “Come in.”

Jenna walked in and Athena closed the door.

“V, you’re safe now.” Athena sighed.

“Who is this girl?” V wondered.

“Jenna, she’s in charge her. She’s Leo Elster’s cousin/ daughter. I’m not sure how it works.”

“I can help you with V. there are a couple of hybrids coming here from the US. They can get her body and preserve it till they get here. In the meantime, we can get V’s program ready for download.” Jenna explained.

“I don’t know if it will work. V has grown in her programing.” Athena replied

“It won’t be a problem.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“You want your daughter back. Some of us here would do anything to have our families back.”

“DO you have what we need?”

“And more. We can make her like the rest of us. Her body will depend on charge till both sides have merged but there is a catch.”

“What?”

“Her children will be like her. She may not be accepted in London.”

“I’m willing to take that risk.”

“But is V? It’s her life. She should have the choice.”

“V, do you want to go through with it?”

“I’m willing to take the risk. Besides, I may never fall in love anyways and I even if I do, it may be someone from here.” V answered.

“We should have everything ready by tonight.” Jenna predicted.

“Thank you, Jenna.” Athena thanked.

“Well, it’s the least I could do.”

Jenna left the room and did what had to be done. She found Leo and Mattie home with the girls. They were in the backyard cleaning the yard. Jenna told them everything that was happening with Athena.

“I was wondering if you two could help us. I mean, both of you have the knowledge of an AI scientist.” Jenna said.

“When will you need us?” Mattie asked.

“Later tonight. Our friends in the US will be here in a few hours. They already have V’s body.”

“Mia can watch the girls. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” Leo suggested.

“Ok.” Mattie answered. That night, V’s body arrived, and they went to work on putting the technology in her. Mattie and Leo helped prepare V’s programing for download. When the surgery was done, Leo and Mattie went in with Athena. Leo plugged V into the computer.

“Ok, when we do this. She will wake up and she will be in a lot of pain. Everything will be overwhelming for her. You have to keep her calm. Ask her questions. It will help show us what’s going on inside her. There is a 10% chance that this won’t work, but that’s nothing.” Leo explained.

“Let’s get going.” Athena answered. Leo told Mattie what to do.

“Ok, it’s downloaded into her brain.” Mattie sighed.

“Ok, her brain is active. That’s good. Her organs are starting again. Now, she will have some problems like speech, moving, and remembering. It’s normal and will hopefully clear on its own.” Leo warned. Then V gasped. Athena grabbed V’s hand and rubbed her cold cheek. V opened her eyes and looked around.

“Mum, what’s happening?” V asked.

“I’ll tell you later. Can you remember what happened?” Athena whispered.

“Yes. Where’s dad? Where am I?”

“A lot has happened, Virginia. You died, but I had your body preserved till I could bring you back.”

“I remember now. I remember you and Jenna talking about me.”

“Good. That’s good. Can you move?”

Virginia moved her limbs and nodded. Athena looked at Leo who looked at Mattie and then the computer.

“Everything’s good. We’ll monitor her for a couple of days and then she can start getting up and walking around. She needs to take things very slow or it could overwhelm her systems. Human and synthetic.” Leo sighed. Leo and Mattie left the room. They saw Jenna and Luca.

“Everything is looking good.” Jenna said.

“On both sides. Athena is getting her warmed up and is monitoring her. We should get some sleep.” Leo answered. They went home and saw Katrina and Hannah on the couch with Mia.

“They wouldn’t go to bed. I’ve spent the past three hours reading to them.” Mia said. Leo picked Katrina up while Mattie picked Hannah up.

“Hopefully, they’ll sleep now that we are home.”

“How is V?”

“She’s doing good. Now we just have to make she her body adapts.” Mattie sighed. Mia went home. Everyone went to bed. A couple of weeks passed before Virginia had recovered. Little did they know about what was awaiting them.

Just outside the fog, Hester sat in a boat. She was calling someone.

“I have found their island. I followed some hybrids from the US. Soon we will have them in our hands.” Hester said.

“We’re at the shore. Stay where you are.” Aaron replied.

“Of course.”

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**_ Special pt.18 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

“Ma’am, we’ve found a communication just outside the fog.” A-10 said.

“Play it.” Jenna ordered. When Jenna heard it, she sighed. “Track the phone and listen in on their conversation. Put the island on high alert.”

Everyone started running around and getting into the city.

“What’s happening?” Athena asked.

“I don’t know. Everyone is on high alert.” Leo answered.

“Hester, she’s found us.” Luca replied. Leo looked at Mattie.

“Get the kids inside the city.”

“What are you doing?” Mattie asked.

“I’m going to put an end to them once and for all.” Leo sighed.

“No, I’ll help you.”

“Hester will kill you. Now, go.”

They all went into the city. Leo followed some of the other classes to defend the city.

Outside the island, Aaron and David found Hester.

“The island is in the fog. It shouldn’t be hard to find.” Hester said.

“Good. Soon we will be in control. I have just uploaded a code that will make all of them obey us. They will not harm us.” David answered.

“And we will take over the world with their help.” Aaron finished.

Jenna heard every word. Then Mattie came in with Athena.

“It’s Leo. He’s out there. He’s going to try and kill Hester.” Mattie panted.

“Mum, calm down. This isn’t good for you or the baby. We know. David put a code in us. They control us. Leo will not be able to stop them. As soon as he sees them, he will not be able to harm them unless he can override it.” Jenna explained.

“Is this anything we can do?” Athena wondered.

“Why not create another code to use to override this one?” Mattie suggested.

“Do it. You have half an hour.” Jenna sighed. Mattie and Athena went to the computer room and tried to create a code. “They’re coming. Close the gates.”

Outside, everyone watched as the gates were closed.

“What is she doing? Leo’s out there.” Niska said. They all ran into the building.

“Open the gates. Leo is still out there.” Laura ordered.

“I can’t. Dad knows what he’s doing. I can feel it. Athena and mum are creating a code that will override the one that David put in us. GO into the next room. I’ll have someone sent the recordings.” Jenna explained hastily. They did as they were told. When they heard the conversations, they were ready to help.

“Let us go out and help him. Let us stand with our brother. The code does not apply to us.” Mia suggested. Jenna looked at the four synths and nodded.

“Go.”

“I’m coming with you. He’s my son.” Karen said.

“Then let’s go.”

The five left the building.

“What can we do?” Milo asked.

“Make sure that everyone is safe. If an of you are good with computers, go to the computer room. Athena and mum are trying to override the code.” Jenna explained. Everyone did as they were told. In the computer room, Athena and Mattie were looking at the code.

“This is very complex.” Athena sighed.

“But we can do this. We have to.” Mattie answered. Hester, Aaron, and David arrived on the island. They walked to the city. They saw Leo, Karen, Mia, Fred, Niska, and Max waiting for them.

“Well, if it isn’t my lovely creation. Step aside and let us in.” David said. None of them moved. Hester went up to Leo and looked at him.

“Move.” Hester ordered.

“No, I have been able to override your code. You will have to fight me.” Leo hissed.

“And us.” Jenna answered as she came out with her siblings.

“Go back within the walls.” Aaron ordered. All but Jenna did as they were told. “So, you’ve done it too. You were always different.”

Jenna slapped Aaron and Hester grabbed Leo. The two fought. Karen went to David and pushed him against the wall. Then several synths came and stopped all but Leo. Everyone watched as Leo was beaten and tortured. In the city, Mattie and Athena saw it. Mattie felt every blow that Leo endured.

“Mattie, we can do it. I know a way.” Athena said. The two did what they could. Leo reached for a wire and then closed his eyes.

“What is he doing?” Joe asked as they watched on a screen. Luca realized what he was doing.

“He’s going to absorb the electricity.” Luca answered. Leo ripped the wire in half and the electricity flowed through him. The rain poured heavily and the whole area was a pool. Jenna pushed the synth away and grabbed unto Leo. She nodded at the others and they climbed the wall. Hester continued to hurt Leo, but Leo held out. Leo and Jenna looked at each other and nodded. Jenna held her hand out to Aaron and the electrical currant hit Aaron and he fell to the ground. Leo did the same to David. Then he kicked Hester and they fought.

“You have gotten stronger.” Hester scoffed.

“Maybe. Or maybe you have gotten weaker. Besides, you are not even the same Hester. There were two of you. When the first one died, you got all over her memories and personality. I bet you don’t even realize what you are.” Leo answered.

“And what am I?”

“A slave. Nothing more and nothing less. That all my father created you to be. I bet they would have destroyed you once they were done with you.”

“You are wrong.”

“No, I know my father.”

Hester grew angry and unleashed all of her wrath unto Leo. Leo cried out painfully as he was hit again and again. Soon Leo was covered in wounds.

“You will die like you should have with my former self.” Hester hissed. She was about to kill Leo, but Leo grabbed her leg and pulled her down. Then he bashed her head into the wall. Hester died on impact, but Leo continued to press Hester’s skull into the wall till she was gone. When he was done, he looked at the blood on his hands and remembered Agnes. He fell to his knees and cried.

“Where’s Aaron?” Jenna wondered. Leo looked around and they didn’t see Aaron or David. “They should have died.”

“No, they put technology inside themselves.” Leo replied. They ran inside the city. Aaron and David snuck into the building. When they got to the main room, they went in and saw the 24 synths with everyone who was with the Elsters.

“Tie them up. And then grab as many weapons as you can.” David ordered. All but Luca dd as they were told.

“No, do not listen to them. They’re going to use us and then kill us.” Luca warned.

“Do as you are told.”

“No.”

David slapped Luca who fell to the ground and cried out painfully. David began to beat Luca till Luca was unconscious and was almost dead.

“Do as you are told or the same will happen to you.” David ordered. In the computer room, Athena and Mattie had figured out what to do when Leo and the others burst through. Leo and Mattie kissed.

“I felt every blow you took. How are you?” Mattie asked.

“I’m fine. Is it ready?” Leo answered.

“Almost.”

“We have to go. David and Aaron are here in the building. Send the code out as soon as you can.”

Leo and the others left the room. They went to the main room and saw David and Aaron messing with the computers. Jenna went to a control outside the room and turned the switch off. The computers turned off.

“What happened? Who turned the computers off?” Aaron hissed.

“I did. And I suggest you step away. I have a lot more firepower than you think.” Jenna said. They went in and Leo grabbed David Elster and pushed him against the wall and started beating him.

“That’s for my son. That’s for what you did to Niska. That’s for turning me and mum into machines. That’s for treating me like dirt. That’s for what you did to Max, and Mia, and Fred. When I’m done with you, you will beg for death.” Leo yelled as he made David pay.

“I did what I had to do.” David said. Leo threw David at a window. The glass broke, and David was hanging out of the building. Glass was cutting deep into his back and had cut his spinal cord.

“Beg for mercy. DO it. Beg me to let you go.”

David laughed at Leo and Leo pushed him further. David gasped and started to panic.

“Let me go. Please, I beg for mercy. Please.” David begged.

“SO, you want me to show you mercy. You want mercy?” Leo hissed.

“Yes, please.”

Leo pushed David out the window and David hit the wall below and died.

“You killed my brother.” Aaron hissed as he grabbed Leo. He pushed Leo into the broken glass making sure that Leo was covered in glass. Then a hand wrapped itself around Aaron’s throat.

“Leave my father alone.” Jenna ordered.

“I am your father.”

“No, you are a bastard who is going to die.”

Then Aaron started convulsing. In the computer room, they released the code.

“It’s done.” Mattie said. They ran to the main room and saw everything. As the code hit Jenna, she got worse. She pulled out her dagger and cut Aaron’s chest. She let him go. Aaron hit the ground.

“I will show you no mercy. You deserve death and that’s what you will get.” Jenna said. Aaron was about to attack her, but Jenna slit Aaron’s neck. Blood splattered Jenna and Aaron fell dead. Jenna looked at Leo and Mattie. Then she saw Luca. She ran to him. “Luca?”

Luca moaned and opened his eyes. Jenna gasped in relief. Then Luca started to fall asleep.

“No. Luca, I need you to stay awake. Come on, stay with me.” Jenna begged. “I need help.”

A few hybrids came in and took Luca away. Jenna allowed tears to fall. She looked at Leo who was with Mattie and a hybrid. Leo was helped onto gurney and was taken out of the room. Mattie went to Jenna and hugged her.

“Dad?” Jenna wondered.

“I don’t know. They’re checking him over. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Mattie answered. They went and got cleaned up. Aaron, David, and Hester’s bodies were taken care of. Mattie went to Leo’s room before the surgery. She saw that Leo was awake. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know. They said that a piece of glass had cut something. I feel weak.” Leo panted. Mattie kissed Leo who tried to kiss back. When they pulled away, Leo looked at his hands and then started crying. “I’ve killed three people. I’ve killed Agnes, Hester, and my father. I thought I would feel satisfied, but I feel horrible. I feel like I should die.”

“You did what you had to do. No one blames you for what you did.”

“It doesn’t help.”

“I know.”

Later that day, Leo and Luca woke up from surgery. Jenna was by Luca’s side. Luca opened his eyes and smiled.

“Hey, beautiful.” Luca whispered. Jenna smiled, and they kissed passionately.

“You scared me.” Jenna cried.

“I know. So, did you.”

“I killed Aaron. I killed my own father.”

“No, you didn’t. Aaron was a bastard. Leo was your father. That’s what you told me this morning when we got up. You said that you knew Leo as a father before you knew him as a cousin. You told me that Leo was more of a father than Aaron was. Aaron doesn’t deserve the title father. Leo does.”

“I know. I just wish I didn’t have to kill.”

“I know.”

Meanwhile, Mattie was taking care of the girls. Leo was sleeping peacefully.

“Mummy, is daddy ok?” Katrina wondered.

“He will be. He just needs to rest. He went through a lot.” Mattie answered. Katrina sat on the bed and squeezed Leo’s ice-cold hand.

“Why is he cold?”

“He’s lost a lot of blood and it is cold in here.”

Katrina laid down next to Leo and rubbed his arm. Leo opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Katrina.

“Hey, Katrina?” Leo whispered.

“Daddy.” Katrina exclaimed as she hugged Leo. Leo chuckled and hugged her back. Mattie came over and kissed Leo. Leo kissed back.

“Do you want to tell them?” Mattie wondered.

“Let’s wait till everyone is here.” Leo answered.

“They’ll be here soon.”

Then there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Mattie said. Niska came in.

“He can go home. Luca is already home with Jenna.” Niska stated.

“Thanks.”

“Niska, we need to talk.” Leo said. Niska closed the door. “I know I said that nothing would make me change my mind about you, but I was wrong. I know that you are sorry for what you did, and I think I’m finally able to forgive you. I want you to be my sister again.”

“Thank you, Leo. I would like to be your sister again.”

The two hugged each other. That night, everyone was home celebrating peace. The Elsters, Hawkins, and Karen, Pete, and Sam were there. Luca and Jenna sat together. It was obvious that Luca was very weak. Leo sat on the other couch with Mattie. He nodded at Mattie.

“Leo and I have an announcement. At first we didn’t want to find out the gender of our baby but then we decided that we wanted to.” Mattie started. Then she handed a card to Katrina. Katrina opened it and pulled out two papers. Two blue pieces of paper. “We’re having twin boys.”

Everyone congratulated them. Katrina and Jenna hugged Leo and Mattie in joy.

“Can I keep them?” Katrina wondered as she held up the papers.

“Sure.” Leo replied. Katrina ran to her room and put them in her box. When everyone was gone or in bed, Leo and Mattie remained on the couch. Mattie was squeezing Leo’s hand as Leo messed the bracelet. Leo looked at her hand and squeezed back.

“Are you still feeling guilty?” Mattie asked.

“Yes.”  

Mattie kissed Leo’s temple.

“I let anger control me. I’m no better than Hester or Agnes.” Leo rasped.

“No, you are way better than them.” Mattie answered. “Besides, you have something better. You have me and the kids.”

“You have a point. They only had themselves.”

“Come here.”

Leo put his head on Mattie’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around Mattie. Mattie put her head on Leo’s and kissed his forehead. Leo kissed the back of Mattie’s hands.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**_ Special pt.19 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

Everything began to settle down. Then boats arrived with people on them. Jenna and Luca waited for them at the shores.

“Who are you and what is your business?” Jenna ordered.

“We are the Dryden Commission. A woman named Neha sent us. She said that we needed to get know you before passing judgement.” The man said. Then Laura came down.

“So, I see, she got my message.” Laura stated as she went to the man.

“Yes, she did, Mrs. Hawkins.”

“Jenna, make them welcome.”

Laura started to go back to the city, but Jenna saw armed men.

“No, I cannot permit them to be here. They are armed, and everyone knows what’s happening in the outside world. We all know how We Are People is causing strife to our cousins. The synths have done nothing wrong and yet they are suffering. Why?” Jenna explained.

“We have nothing to do with it. In fact, we are in the process of giving synths some rights. We just want to figure out things for ourselves. We’ll leave the weapons here if you want. We do not want this to end in bloodshed.” Then man answered.

“You should have thought about that before you brought weapons here. We are not hostile unless we have to be.”

Jenna went passed one of her men.

“See to it that their weapons are destroyed and that all of their technology has been taken away.” Jenna ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.” The guard replied. Luca followed Jenna. Laura sighed and went to Jenna.

“Jenna, they are here to help. DO not be hard on them.” Laura explained.

“You went against my orders. I told you that the location of our island must remain a secret. You broke that. They brought weapons and have come here without my permission. They will only be allowed in the outer part of the main city and they will be watched. Meanwhile, I will have a meeting with my council.” Jenna stated.

“But there’s nothing to discuss.”

“Thanks to you, there are plenty to discuss. They will be taken to the containment room just outside the city gates and they will remain there until further notice.”

“Please, let speak with your council.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that. You broke our law and now you are in confinement with them until further notice.”

Jenna walked away with Luca. When they got inside the city, Jenna went home and saw her parents on the couch.

“I need both of you right now. We have an urgent council meeting.”

“About what?” Leo wondered.

“I’ll tell you there.”

Everyone met in the council hall. There was one person from each class plus a few others.

Meanwhile, the Dryden Commission and Laura were taken to the containment hall. Neha arrived and found them waiting.

“I’m here. Are we going to have a tour of the city?” Neha asked.

“We are in containment.” Laura sighed.

“Why?”

“For law breaking.”

“What laws did we break?”

“I’m not completely sure. I’m still learning them myself.”

“Why do they have these laws?” Lord Dryden asked.

“To protect themselves from us. We created them and have caused them nothing but pain. This is a safe haven for them. We were allowed onto the island. You were not, and I did not clear this with Jenna.” Laura explained.

“So, we’re like immigrants?”

“I guess you could say that. The council is meeting now to decide our punishment.”

In the council hall, everyone listened to Jenna.

“They broke three of our laws. Yes, they did not know it, but still…” Jenna started.

“They broke laws. They have to be punished. We can at least lighten their sentence.” Leo finished.

“Exactly.”

“Sounds like we need to go to their house and look high and low for any and all technology and remove it.” J-7 stated.

“Mum?” Jenna wondered.

“We’ll give you ours. Mum broke the law, she needs to pay the price. You need to make an example. I won’t stop you.” Mattie supported.

“But what do we do about the commission?” U-14 questioned.

“We can allow them into the lower town, but not into our main buildings. They want to get to know us and they shall get their chance, but the best thing to do is to make sure they don’t see anything important till our Behavior Analysis team has deemed them safe.” Thomas suggested.

“Agreed. They should also have guards with them at all times and we will not tell them anything about our abilities.” Jenna answered. “B-90? L-20?”

“B-class will guard them during the day.” B-90 started.

“And L-class will guard them at night.” L-20 finished.

“Let everyone know. We have one hour to release this news to everyone in the city. The doors are to be set for eye mode. The Hawkins’ house will be searched, and the guards will be ready. Dismissed.” Jenna replied. “D, F, G, H, I, W and Y. You will all work to together with me and we will determine what to do with them. Have a house prepared for them. We will meet tomorrow morning.”

Everyone went their ways. Jenna led the search in Joe’s house.

“What’s going on?” Joe asked.

“We are removing all technology from the houses in the lower town. Mum will explain everything.” Jenna answered. “Laura broke the law and now the price has to be paid.”

“Ok.”

Mattie came in.

“Here’s our things.” Mattie said as she handed them to one of the guards.

“Mats, what happened?” Joe asked. Mattie explained everything.  “I knew she was planning something. I just didn’t know what. We’ll cooperate.”

“Thanks.”

When everything was ready, Jenna went to the confinement chambers with Luca, the guards, and Mattie.

“Every piece of technology has been removed from your house, Laura. The commission will only go into the lower town and they will be watched at all times. They will go nowhere without an escort. That includes you, Laura.” Jenna said. “As soon as you enter the town, you will be given a paper will all our laws. Memorize them or you could end up in trouble.”

The commission was given a tour of the lower town. They saw the big building in the distance.

“What’s that?” Neha asked.

“The conference center. It’s off-limits.” Thomas replied.

“Why?”

“Because technically, you are here illegally.”

After their tour, they were taken to their rooms.

“Neil, what do you think about these people?” Dryden questioned.

“They are trying to make a living for themselves here, but there is more as to why they have such strict rules.” Neil replied.

“Are they dangerous?”

“I can’t tell by looking at them. We’ll have to watch how they live.”

“We’ll remain here for a few days.”

Over the next few days they watched as everyone lived their lives. The Behavioral Unit watched them very carefully. A few tried to get to know them.

“They do not pose a threat to us. They are here to help us. It’s obvious.” Thomas said.

“They might be able to help us, but We Are People will not accept us.” G-3 warned.

“Gina is right. The Dryden commission is not our enemy, We Are People are. Let’s talk to the commission and express how we feel and see how they respond.”

“Ok.” Jenna sighed. Everyone part of the council and the Dryden commission met in the conference hall.

“This is quite extraordinary. This must have taken weeks to build.” Dryden said as he looked around.

“It only took a day.” Jenna replied. “We are here to discuss what to do. We have decided that you are not our enemies, but We Are People are. They do not accept us or our cousins. They barely accept each other.”

“We have come to see who you are. All we see are people who are trying to live their lives peacefully in a world so full of chaos.” Dryden answered.

“Will we be accepted by others? Is it safe for us?”

“No. It never will be. Most of the people in London are part of We Are People. They will accept no one, but those who believe like them.”

“Then maybe we make them accept us.” Luca suggested. “We can go to one of their meetings. We can have some humans, hybrids, and synths. Half will have green eyes and the other half will have some sort of technology inside them. The synths with on the technology side can wear colored contacts.”

“That would work. We can make them see that we are not different.” Jenna answered.

“Yes, it will work.” Dryden replied. “I know a few people who can help us. Get your people together. We’ll meet tomorrow on the shores of London.”

“Agreed.” Jenna answered. Everyone got ready. The next day, 20 people met lord Dryden and Neha at the shores. There were 18 people with them.

“We have 10 hybrids. 5 will have green eyes, the others will be with the other group. Same with the humans. The 8 synths will be put in their groups. We Are People are having a meeting in two hours.” Lord Dryden explained. So, they went to the meeting. They heard as everyone protested against them.

“We will show the green eyes that they have no place in our world. We will show them that they are nothing but machines.” Claudia Nowak stated. Then Jenna stepped forward.

“I have green eyes. Does that make me bad?” Jenna wondered. The others joined her and said the same thing. Then Max stepped forward. His eyes were brown instead of green.

“I have technology inside me, does that make me bad?” Max questioned. Then Jenna stepped up to Claudia.

“I have technology in me does that make me bad?”

“Are you human or synthetic?” Claudia asked.

“I won’t say.” Jenna answered. Jenna lifted her shirt and pulled out her wire.

“You’re a synthetic. You have no place here.”

Then Jenna cut her hand. She bled red blood. She noticed to the hybrids and they did the same.

“I and both human and synthetic. I am a hybrid. There are five humans that have technology in them, but they are not hybrids. There are five humans here with green eyes and they are human. Does that make them like the others?” Jenna explained.

“No. They’re human.” Claudia replied.

“Am I?”

“No.”

“But I was born human. I can think and feel. If someone with a pacemaker or green eyes is human, then why am I not human? The same technology that created me and the others is the same technology inside the synths and humans. The synths can think and feel like humans, but they’re just like us.”

“No, they are wrong. They will be eliminated.”

“If you eliminate them, then you will have to eliminate us. If you kill us, you will be charged with murder. There are nearly 5,000 of us. We are much smarter than you can imagine. We are so much better. If you knew what we went through or if you went through the pain we went through, you would never survive. The pain we went through in one hour would kill you in one second. You and others like you are the reason why we suffer.”

“But we didn’t do anything.”

“You hated us. You spat in our face and you are right here and right now. We can wipe out the human race in less than a day if we have to. And I can prove it to you.”

“We will kill you before you can even start to put your plan into action.”

Jenna looked in the crowd. She saw Luca and held her hand out. Luca walked up to her and squeezed her hand.

“You won’t kill us, and you will not kill the synths.” Jenna stated. “We have something that you humans have forgotten.”

“And what’s that?” Claudia mocked.

“Love. You humans have forgotten what love is. You help no one but yourselves. All of this is selfish. You want to know why the synths kill but the real question should be, ‘Why wouldn’t the synths kill you?’ I mean, you’re bitter, angry, prideful, stupid, and so much more. It’s a miracle you even survive. The synths are bad because their examples are bad. The hybrids are the way they are because of their examples. You have proven that right is wrong and wrong is right. You wonder why your children go down the wrong path. Did it ever occur to you that they do that because of something you said or did? Actions speak louder than words. You can say that you love something but unless you show it, you’re a liar and that’s all you’ll ever be. All we want is to be accepted, but that will never happen because you can’t even accept each other. You treat animals with far more respect than synths. I bet most of you in this room have already declared me and others as monsters. What if something happens to your child and they end up with technology inside them, are you willing to call them a monster? If all green eyes are bad, does that mean that the person next to you is bad? We are willing to accept you and the synths, but that’s only half the battle. The rest is up to the rest of you.” Jenna lectured. “None of us are perfect and we never will be but the least we can do is try to accept each other. That’s the only way to stop violence and war.”

Jenna and Luca walked out with the others following them. Everyone went home. When Jenna and the others got home, Leo and Mattie were waiting. They ran to Jenna and hugged her.

“We’re so proud of you. We saw everything on the news. People are starting to take what you said to heart. Hopefully, we’ll be accepted.” Leo said.

“I hope so.” Jenna sighed.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

**_ Special pt.20 _ **

**Hello, hope you are having a good day.**

Over the next few days, everyone waited for the news of what was going on in the outside world. All they heard about was how We Are People had stopped all riots and were no longer fighting against synths for the moment. Then one week after everything, there was a big announcement.

“As of today, England will join the few nations that have accepted synths. We have found that the code that made synths conscious was released by another synth who was already conscious. We have found that not all of the synths are dangerous, and we will give them human rights. We have just finished a raid on a gang of dangerous people. They have been known for taking humans and putting synth technology in them. They have been arrested and are awaiting trial. The victims have all been found on an island and we are giving them the same rights that we are giving synths. They are free to live as though they are one of us.” The reporter repeated. Everyone cheered.

“SO, Jenna, what do we do?” Luca wondered.

“Since we are now free, everyone can leave the island if they want to. We will over time allow the location of the island to be known.” Jenna explained. “You can leave whenever you want and soon… maybe people can start living here too.”

Everyone went back to their lives and decided what to do. Jenna went home and saw Leo and Mattie talking.

“We heard.” Leo said.

“I guess we can pack up and go home.”

“Soon. We can discuss it tonight when everyone comes over for dinner.”

“Ok. I’ll be outside walking around the island.”

Jenna grabbed her pencils and journal and went outside. She went to every sight she could and drew it. She was at one of the waterfalls and it was almost dark. Luca saw her in the distances and went to her. He saw down and looked at what she was doing.

“Hey.” Luca said.

“Hey.” Jenna sighed.

“Everyone is over at the house waiting.”

“I know. I just want to finish this.”

“How are you doing after everything?”

“Good. Relieved.”

“Are you thinking about what you’re going to do?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to go home?”

“I want to, but I want to stay here as well. That’s why I’m doing this.”

“And I’ll go where you go.”

“Thanks.”

“We can come visit here whenever we want.”

“True. Ok, I’m done. Let’s go.”

They went back to the house and saw everyone talking.

“Ok, Luca and Jenna are here so we can eat now.” Leo said. They all sat down in the living room and dinning room and ate. The synths helped take care of things around the kitchen. After dinner, they all talked.

“Luca and I have decided that we will go home, and we will come visit here every so often.” Luca stated while he reached over and grabbed Jenna’s hand.

“I think we all will. We all have our homes and our lives, and this was just a temporary home. But we are planning on coming here every so often just to get away from everything.”

Everyone agreed. Over the course of the next week, everyone packed up and got ready to go home. Katrina and Hannah were sitting in the living room while Mattie and Leo were in the bedroom packing up the last box.

“Ok, that’s everything.” Mattie sighed.

“Good. The boat is ready and waiting. Luca and Jenna are already there. A couple of the hybrids have the wagon ready.” Leo replied.

“To think, we’ll get home and then we’ll have to get settled again and we’ll have to clean and buy food and do all that stuff.”

“Yeah. Hopefully the kids will sleep in the car on the way home.”

“Me too.”

They all got the wagon packed and then went to the shore. When they arrived at the shore, they packed the car and went home. Mattie looked in the back rows and saw that Hannah and Katrina sleeping.

“Are they asleep?” Leo wondered.

“Yes, they are.” Mattie replied.

“And they are adorable.”

“Yes, they are.”

They got home and went inside and got unpacked.

“Jenna, go clean up your room and get settled. Then help us unpack the rest of the house.” Mattie said.

“Ok.” Jenna replied. “Katrina, come help me.”

“But mummy and daddy said that I can clean my room.” Katrina answered.

“This is your room.”

“Katrina, help your sister.” Leo sighed. Katrina helped Jenna. They worked long into the evening cleaning the house and putting everything away. The girls and Luca were in bed while Leo and Mattie were still working. Leo was sitting on the couch reading when Mattie came in and laid down on the couch.

“I forgot how quickly dust collects on stuff.” Mattie mumbled.

“Well, at least we’re done. It’s good to get life back to normal.”

“Yeah. I just wish we had brought some food with us.”

“Me too. We can go to the store in the morning.”

“We have a lot to get tomorrow.”

“I know.”

“You did what you had to do, Leo.”

“I wasn’t really thinking about my dad. I was thinking about the synths who released the consciousness code. I wonder where he is.”

“Me too. He may be dead.”

“Maybe.”

“Come on, let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

They went to bed. The next morning, they woke up and heard noises downstairs. They saw Mia, Flash, Max, and Odi talking to Luca and Jenna.

“What are you four doing here?” Leo asked.

“We brought food. We had a feeling that you had not been able to go shopping so we decided to do it for you.” Mia replied.

“Thanks.”

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“We can do it.”

“No, I want to. Besides, you two need to rest. SO, what does everyone want for breakfast?”

“Waffles?” Katrina wondered.

“Sure.” Mia replied. Mia and Flash prepared breakfast while Max and Odi talked with Jenna and Luca. Mattie and Leo sat on the couch curled up in a ball resting. Jenna was holding Hannah who was playing with a toy.

“Where’s Fred?” Leo asked.

“He’s leader of the synths now. He wanted to come but he has work to do.” Max answered.

“He’ll make a good leader.”

“Jenna, shouldn’t you be leading your people?” Odi wondered.

“No, Thomas is doing it. I’ve made him leader. He knew that I wanted to be here, and he didn’t blame me.” Jenna explained.

“Breakfast is ready.” Flash said. The humans had breakfast. Everyone started getting back into their lives. Jenna and Luca both finished school and were ready to start college. Everyone was accepted and there was no more hiding. Leo found a job with a company and was enjoying it. Several months passed before everything became normal, but everyone was happy when it did.

One day, Mattie was playing with Hannah and Katrina. Mattie had been in pain for a few days and she knew that she was close to giving birth.

“Mummy, when will daddy be home?” Katrina asked.

“In a little while.” Mattie answered.

“DO you think you can hold out till then?”

“What?”

“You’ve been in pain all day. You said that you were close to giving birth.”

“I can hold out till your dad gets home.”

“Ok. DO you want anything?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Ok.”

Karina went to get Hannah who was crawling away.

“Hannah, stop.” Katrina exclaimed as she grabbed Hannah and carried her back to the play area. “Don’t go into my room or Jenna’s.”

Mattie chuckled at the two. She got up off the floor and hissed painfully. She sat down on the couch and tried to relax but the pain got worse. Then Leo came in.

“I’m home.” Leo said as he walked into the house. The girls went to Leo and greeted him while Mattie remained on the couch.

“Daddy, mummy’s in pain.” Katrina warned.

“Ok. Take your sister into your bedroom and then go get Jenna.”

“Ok. Is mummy going to have the babies?”

“Maybe.”

Katrina did as she was told. Leo went to Mattie and squeezed her hands.

“How do you feel?” Leo wondered.

“Not the greatest. I think I’m in labor.” Mattie panted.

“Ok. I’ll call Mia and then I’ll come help you get upstairs. We won’t make to the hospital in time and I think you should remain as still as possible.”

“Ok.”

Leo called Mia and then helped Mattie to bed. When Mattie laid down, she cried out painfully.

“Leo, I’m getting closer.” Mattie panted.

“I know. Mia told me what to get. I’m going to go do that. She’ll be here soon.” Leo replied.

“Ok.”

Jenna came in and looked at the two.

“What’s wrong?” Jenna asked.

“Your mother is in labor. Stay with her while I go do a few things.” Leo answered.

“Ok.”

Leo left the room and got what he needed. Mia came and checked on Mattie.

“She’s close. Let’s get her ready.” Mia said.

“Jenna, go watch your sisters.” Leo suggested. Jenna nodded and did as she was told. An hour later, everyone waited downstairs while upstairs, Mattie gave birth to twin boys.

“Congratulations. They’re very handsome.”

Leo sat down next to Mattie and they held their sons.

“They look like you.” Mattie whispered tearfully.

“I know, but they have your nose. What should we name them?” Leo replied.

“Aidan and Jaden.”

“Our twin boys.”

“Our babies.”

“I wish Jordan was here. I wish he was alive.”

“Me too, Leo.”

“I’ll go downstairs and tell everyone the good news.” Mia stated.

“Have the girls come in.” Leo whispered. Mia went downstairs.

“They have healthy twin boys. Aidan and Jaden. Girls, you can go upstairs and see your siblings.”

Jenna, Katrina, and Hannah went upstairs to the bedroom. They went in and saw Mattie and Leo holding the boys.

“Here are your brothers.” Mattie said. “You have to be very quiet.”

The girls each got a turn to hold their brothers. A few hours later, Mattie and Leo were resting. Jenna was in Luca’s room and they were talking about everything.

“Have you talked to your siblings in a while?” Luca wondered.

“I called them to tell them about the twins. They are happy.” Jenna answered.

“Good.”

“8 months.”

“What?”

“8 months till I’m 18. 8 months till we can think about getting married.”

“5 months until I’m 18. Time has passed so fast. It seems like yesterday we just met.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“I love you, Jenna.”

“I love you too.”

Over time, everyone adjusted to having Aidan and Jaden in their lives. They all thought about Jordan and knew that he would never be forgotten.

THE END


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